Star-studded pairing Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka stunned in US Open mixed doubles
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Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka in action on Aug 25 against Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova, in the mixed doubles at the US Open.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka were defeated in their opening US Open mixed doubles match by Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova.
- Patten and Siniakova came back from losing the first set to win the second and dominate the tiebreak, with Siniakova acing Djokovic on match point.
- The US Open mixed doubles event was revamped to attract top singles players, proving commercially successful despite some criticism from doubles specialists.
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NEW YORK - Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka suffered an early exit from the US Open mixed doubles on Aug 25, falling 1-4 4-2 10-2 to Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova in their opening match.
Djokovic, a 24-times Grand Slam singles champion, and four-times major winner Sabalenka made a strong start by taking the opening set.
But Patten and doubles specialist Siniakova hit back to claim the second before dominating the tiebreak to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
Siniakova sealed the upset in style with an ace out wide on match point, ending the tournament hopes of the star-studded pairing.
“It wasn’t looking very good for a while, in this format we play one bad game and all of a sudden the first set’s gone,” Patten said. “We knew the same could happen in the second, and we played an amazing tiebreak. Kat acing Novak on match point was great.”
The mixed doubles championship is once again being staged in the week before the singles main draw, after organisers revamped the format in 2025 to attract more leading singles players by reducing the field and giving the event a standalone slot on the calendar.
The revamped format proved a commercial success in its debut year, drawing sellout crowds and attracting many of the sport’s biggest singles names despite criticism from some doubles specialists, who argued it marginalised established pairings.
Italian duo Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori went on to retain the title by defeating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in 2025’s final. REUTERS
