Defending champions trump singles stars in early US Open mixed doubles

Veteran doubles experience overcame singles stardom as defending champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani reached the semi-finals at the US Open's reimagined mixed doubles on Tuesday, as the event kicked off with a new format and new fans.

Vavassori and Errani downed 2022 Wimbledon singles winner Elena Rybakina and 2024 US Open singles finalist Taylor Fritz 4-2 4-2, before outlasting Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev 4-1 5-4(4) in the quarter-finals.

The Italians had earned wild card entries.

The pair had added motivation to retain their crown as the year's final major took a new approach to the event beloved by fans but often lost in a schedule that is dominated by singles action, moving the competition to five days before the main draw.

This year's format saw eight pairings based on the combined singles rankings and eight wild cards, a move that left some doubles competitors fuming - including Vavassori and Errani - but brought a sellout crowd to Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"The positives are for sure that the stadium was packed in the second match," said Vavassori, after downing Fritz and Rybakina. "It's a great thing for doubles to be seen by more people. I have to give them credit," he said.

"We're also playing for all the doubles players that could not be here, so we tried to do our best."

The Italians will face Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison after the last-minute tournament additions advanced to the semis with a stunning 4-1 5-4(2) win over fellow Americans Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend.

The 2022 singles champion Iga Swiatek showed little sign of fatigue a day after clinching the title in Cincinnati, as she and teammate Casper Ruud downed American duo Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe 4-1 4-2 in their opener.

They made easy work of Grand Slam doubles finalist Caty McNally and partner Lorenzo Musetti 4-1 4-2 later in the day, to claim another of the semi-final spots.

The semis and final are set for Wednesday.

"Last two days felt like one long day but I'm super happy to be here and playing with Casper," said Swiatek. "Didn't have time to play many doubles to practise but I think I can improvise pretty well."

Swiatek and Ruud will face the top-seeded team of American Jessica Pegula and Briton Jack Draper in the semi-finals after they crushed the all-Russian duo of Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev 4-1 4-1.

Draper and Pegula had earlier dispatched five-times Grand Slam singles champion Carlos Alcaraz and former women's US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the last 16.

'HOLLYWOOD OF MIXED DOUBLES'

A logjam of cars waited long into the first round to enter the Flushing Meadows grounds as spectators abandoned their taxis, walking up the Grand Central Parkway to get inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

It was the earliest sign of business not-as-usual for the US Open's "fan week" as ticketholders shelled out to catch the early action just a day after the Cincinnati Open concluded.

"We're really excited. We heard it was like the Hollywood of mixed doubles," said Boston native Krystyna Zaluski, who brought her 13-year-old son to the tournament for the first time. "This event made it so simple for us to come out here."

That star power was dented slightly by the last-minute withdrawal of Italian Jannik Sinner, a day after illness forced the world number one to retire five games into his Cincinnati Open final.

Semi-finalists Collins and Harrison replaced Sinner and partner Katerina Siniakova in the draw.