Errani And Vavassori Win Reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Extravaganza

Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani
Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani (photo: US Open video)

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, August 21, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

The reimagined US Open mixed doubles extravaganza – two days, 16 teams, plenty of star talent, which included the newly-crowned Cincinnati Open champions, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Iga Swiatek of Poland – wrapped up to much fanfare on Arthur Ashe Stadium Wednesday night.

In a nationally-televised final that was broadcast in the United States on ESPN2 and played before a sold-out crowd of 23,771, who packed into the biggest show venue in professional tennis on a rainy evening with the roof closed, the biggest mixed doubles championship in the history of the sport – in terms of the prize money awarded and the magnitude of fans in attendance – was won by Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori of Italy.

The champions, who successfully defended their US Open mixed doubles title and lost just one set en route, received both a shiny silver trophy and $1 million in prize money to share.

In a revamped format, eight teams in the 16-team field qualified for the draw by virtue of their players’ combined singles rankings, while the remaining teams were given wild cards. Errani and Vavassori, the only fully-dedicated doubles duo in the draw, received a wild card.

In the championship final, Errani and Vavassori held off Swiatek and Casper Ruud of Norway, 6-3, 5-7, 10-6, to win this year’s US Open mixed doubles title in an hour and 32 minutes. The Italian duo successfully repeated their 2024 championship performance. It was their third major title as a team after also winning this year’s Roland-Garros crown.

Plenty of star power and matches that were quick and decisive

During the two-day US Open mixed doubles event, which was staged at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center during US Open Fan Week, the matches were quick and decisive – thanks to playing a Fast Four-format with no-ad scoring. The first round and quarterfinals took place Tuesday on Ashe and next door at Louis Armstrong Stadium, the two-largest venues on the Flushing Meadows grounds. There were plenty of crowd favorites such as Alcaraz, Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu, Frances Tiafoe of the United States, Naomi Osaka of Japan and American Ben Shelton in action on the opening day of the two-day event.

By the end of the first day on Ashe, the third-seeded Swiatek and Ruud, as well as top seeds Jessica Pegula of the United States and her teammate Jack Draper of Great Britain, advanced to play in one semifinal by winning both of their their matches – all of them in straight sets. Over on Armstrong, a pair of unseeded teams, defending US Open mixed doubles champions Errani and Vavassori and last-minute alternates, American best friends Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison, who replaced Italy’s Jannik Sinner (ill) and Katerina Siniakova of Czechia, each won both of their matches to advance to the other semifinal. 

None of the 12 first-day matches required more than two sets and the longest match of the day was completed in 68 minutes. The average length of the first-day matches was 48 minutes.

Arguably, the biggest upset of the first day occured in the quarterfinal round when Collins and Harrison beat Shelton and Taylor Townsend, the No. 1-ranked women’s doubles player in the world from the United States, 4-1, 5-4 (2). After all, anything can happen in this super-short format.

In the first semifinal Wednesday evening, the first to be decided by a 10-point match tie-break, Swiatek and Ruud won six consecutive points during the match tie-break to pull out a 3-5, 5-3, 10-8 victory over Pegula and Draper in an hour and 25 minutes to become the first team to advance to the final. Only six points separated the two teams as Swiatek and Ruud outpointed Pegula and Draper 57-51, aided by 24 winners and three breaks of their opponent’s serve.

“I’m a little hungry. It was a long match,” Ruud said, smiling during the on-court interview. “It was longer than Iga’s normal singles matches.”

Then, Errani and Vavassori gave a dominating performance in winning the second semifinal, 4-2, 4-2, over Collins and Harrison in 44 minutes to advance to the title match. The Italians combined to win 85 percent of their first-serve points, hit 20 winners to just six unforced errors and outpointed their opponents 41-24. They truly showed why doubles is an art.

“I think we are on a mission,” Vavassori said during an on-court interview afterward. “We are having so much fun. It was a joy for us.”

Errani added: “I feel goosebumps. We’re excited to be in the final.”

In the championship final, the better team – Errani and Vavassori – won but it was a nail-biting experience to the very end – and even included an underarm serve by Errani with the match on the line. Although Swiatek and Ruud outpointed Errani and Vavassori by a single point, 66-65, the Italians overall were steadier down the stretch. After splitting the first two sets, a 10-point match tie-break decided the title outcome.

Errani and Vavassori jumped ahead in the match tie-break 4-0 before letting their opponents back in it. However, from 5-4, they scored five of the last seven points against Swiatek and Ruud. At 11:42 p.m. Eastern Time, Errani and Vavassori triumphed on their second championship point following an eight-shot exchange.

“It was a pleasure us to play against champions like you,” Vavassori said during the trophy presentation, congratulating Swiatek and Ruud. “It was an amazing atmosphere. We showed today that doubles is a great product. I think in the future we need more marketing and visibility. I think this product is something that can also work in the future.

“It was amazing to play on the court with so many people. I have to say thank you for the atmosphere from the bottom of my heart.”

Vavassori thanked Errani. “I want to say thanks to my partner. We are doing something [amazing] in these two years. I have to say thanks for the energy you put [on] the court. It’s unbelievable for me to play with you, thank you.”

Added Errani: “Andrea, you’re too strong, too good. I am enjoying so much playing with you. It’s a pleasure for me to be by your side. It’s aLeah’s so special. We are sharing these moments that are unforgettable, so I’m really happy to share them with you. Playing in front of all these people was amazing.”

In defeat, Ruud gave props to the winners. He said: “Congrats to Sara and Andrea, full deserved. I guess there was some pressure on you guys when you came in being somewhat the favorites. You delivered. You played amazing, so you fully deserve it. Enjoy it and also good luck for doubles.”

Swiatek added: “Congrats to Sara and Andrea, fully deserved. You proved that I guess mixed doubles players are smarter tactically than singles players, but we pushed until the end. We tried to make it competitive and it was a pleasure to share the court with you and hopefully you’re going to enjoy this and good luck with your doubles.”

Players endorse new mixed doubles format

After reaching the semifinals, Harrison seemed to endorse the controversial new format, in which the energy from the players and fans was palpable. “You want the sport to evolve,” he said during a post-match news conference Tuesday. “Anytime I think that’s the main goal, to be honest – where people are trying things – things are never going to be perfect the first time, with anything. But I think we were always like, ‘Hey, they’re trying to do something to make it evolve.’ It’s hard not to be supporting something with that mindset.”

Added Collins: “I think the format is so cool. What an amazing concept.”

Meanwhile, Vavassori and Errani said they were impressed by the crowds who came out to watch them.

“It was great to see so many people,” Vavassori said on Tuesday. “I think it’s nice for mixed doubles to be seen on a big stage. I think the best thing we can take from this week is that more people will get to know mixed doubles. I think also for the future will be a good thing.”

Errani added: “We had so much fun. I’m really happy that we can share the court again. We don’t have many tournaments where we can play together. To have the chance here to play more matches is so good.”

By the numbers

The total purse for the US Open mixed doubles tournament was $2.35 million. Each team was guaranteed to receive $20,000, with $100,000 going to all quarterfinalists, $200,000 for all semifinalists, $400,000 for the runner-up team and $1 million for the winning duo.

“Quotable …”

“I’m really impressed with Iga, the way she handles the men’s ball especially. She can return the guys’ serve. From the baseline, she can rally with anyone. That’s both our strongest sides, I would say. We played to the strongest sides of our own game. We had good chemistry from the first point. I think that’s also important in doubles.”

– Casper Ruud of Norway, during a post-match news conference Tuesday, discussing his thoughts of playing with partner Iga Swiatek of Poland after winning their first-round and quarterfinal matches.

 

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