The US Open 2026 Mixed Doubles Championship brings together some of the biggest names from the WTA and ATP Tours for one of the most heavily promoted events of US Open Fan Week.
Aryna Sabalenka will partner Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek reunites with Casper Ruud and Elena Rybakina joins Taylor Fritz, while defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori return in search of another New York title.
The competition takes place from August 24–26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, before the US Open singles main draws begin on August 30.
For 2026, the USTA has expanded the event again by adding an eight-team qualifying tournament.
There is one important distinction at this stage: 29 teams have entered, but these are not yet the final 16 teams in the main draw. The six teams with the highest combined singles rankings on August 17 receive direct entry, eight teams will receive wildcards and two more will qualify on August 24.
All US Open 2026 Mixed Doubles Pairings
The USTA’s current entry list contains the following 29 partnerships as of August 11.
US Open 2026 Mixed Doubles Pairings
The star-studded teams entered for the mixed doubles championship in New York.
🎾 29 Entered TeamsIt is an unusually diverse entry list.
There are superstar singles combinations such as Sabalenka/Djokovic and Rybakina/Fritz, established doubles specialists including defending champions Errani/Vavassori, and several partnerships built around personal relationships.
Newlyweds Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur will compete together following their July wedding, while Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils have entered as a married couple.
The field even contains sibling combinations: Caty McNally partners Robert Cash, while Peyton Stearns teams with Preston Stearns.
Sabalenka and Djokovic Headline a Remarkable Field
The combination likely to attract the most attention is Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic.
Rather than treating mixed doubles as a secondary competition involving primarily doubles specialists, the US Open has deliberately built its new format around recognisable singles stars. Sabalenka and Djokovic are the clearest example, but Swiatek/Ruud, Rybakina/Fritz, Andreeva/Rublev and Shnaider/Medvedev reinforce the same idea.
That approach is central to what the US Open has been trying to achieve with mixed doubles since dramatically redesigning the championship in 2025.
Swiatek and Ruud Return After Reaching the 2025 Final
Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud are back together after reaching the championship match in 2025.
They were beaten by Italian doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who prevailed after a match tiebreak to successfully defend the title they had originally won under the traditional format in 2024.
Errani and Vavassori therefore enter 2026 as two-time defending champions and once again provide an intriguing contrast to a field increasingly populated by high-profile singles players.
US Open Mixed Doubles Qualifying Is New for 2026
The biggest structural change in 2026 is the addition of a separate qualifying competition.
Eight teams will play on Monday, August 24, with two partnerships progressing into the 16-team championship draw. Six qualifying places will be determined by entry criteria and another two teams will receive qualifying wildcards.
Qualifying begins at 11:00 AM at Grandstand and is free for spectators with a US Open Fan Access Pass.
That expansion means mixed doubles now occupies three consecutive days of Fan Week, rather than simply appearing as a compact two-day attraction.
US Open 2026 Mixed Doubles Schedule
Monday, August 24 – Qualifying
Eight teams compete for two main-draw places.
Grandstand from 11:00 AM.
Free with a Fan Access Pass.
Tuesday, August 25 – First Round and Quarterfinals
The 16-team main draw begins.
Louis Armstrong Stadium from 10:00 AM.
Arthur Ashe Stadium from 11:00 AM.
Wednesday, August 26 – Semifinals and Final
Arthur Ashe Stadium from 7:00 PM.
The Tuesday matches in Louis Armstrong Stadium can be watched free with a Fan Access Pass. Arthur Ashe Stadium requires a ticket, with the US Open advertising tickets from $30 for Tuesday and $45 for Wednesday.
How Does the US Open 2026 Mixed Doubles Format Work?
The competition uses a shortened format designed to produce faster matches.
From qualifying through the semifinals, matches are played as best-of-three sets with each set played to four games.
Scoring is no-ad, a tiebreak is played at 4-4 and a 10-point match tiebreak replaces a conventional third set.
The final is slightly more traditional. Sets are played to six games, although no-ad scoring remains and a 10-point match tiebreak is again used instead of a full deciding set.
The winning pair receives $1 million, giving the short competition one of the most eye-catching prizes in doubles tennis.
Why Is the US Open Promoting Mixed Doubles So Heavily?
The positioning of mixed doubles during Fan Week is anything but accidental.
Rather than playing the tournament alongside the later rounds of men’s and women’s singles, the USTA has moved mixed doubles into a period where it can operate as one of the headline attractions leading into the Grand Slam.
US Open Fan Week runs from August 23–29. The singles main draw does not begin until August 30.
That gives mixed doubles its own stage instead of forcing it to compete for attention with high-profile singles matches.
The promotional push is substantial. The US Open is offering free access to qualifying and selected Louis Armstrong Stadium matches, selling dedicated Arthur Ashe Stadium sessions, offering premium hospitality and luxury-suite packages, and placing the semifinals and final under the lights in Ashe.
The tournament has also produced individual promotional features around pairings including Sabalenka/Djokovic, Boulter/De Minaur, Fernandez/Tiafoe, Shnaider/Medvedev, Eala/Auger-Aliassime and Townsend/Zverev. Its official website gives the mixed doubles championship a prominent standalone section alongside its major Fan Week attractions.
There is commercial backing as well. Vital Proteins returns as presenting sponsor, with on-site product sampling, interactive fan experiences and other activations planned around the championship.
And the event is not being treated merely as an on-site attraction: ESPN will carry the competition, with the USTA highlighting expanded global distribution and primetime television placement as part of the 2026 promotion.
The 2025 Experiment Gave the US Open Every Reason to Go Bigger
The heavy promotion follows extraordinary numbers for the redesigned 2025 event.
Arthur Ashe Stadium sold out on both days of the 2025 Mixed Doubles Championship, while more than 20,000 spectators used Fan Access Passes to watch free in Louis Armstrong Stadium. Internationally, the event was carried across 17 networks in more than 170 countries and territories, with 13 hours of ESPN coverage in the United States.
Mixed doubles also helped US Open Fan Week reach a record 239,307 spectators in 2025. The USTA specifically credited unprecedented interest in the redesigned competition as one of the drivers of that figure.
The concept subsequently won the Sports Breakthrough of the Year award at the 2026 Sports Business Journal Awards.
Seen in that context, expanding the tournament with qualifying in 2026 is a logical next move.
Mixed Doubles Has Become a Fan Week Centrepiece
There is a clear strategy behind the schedule.
The US Open effectively uses the week before singles competition as an opening festival. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day starts proceedings on August 23, mixed doubles takes over from August 24–26, and other ticketed attractions include Roger Federer’s return to Arthur Ashe Stadium and Stars of the Open.
That transforms what was once largely a qualifying week into a much broader entertainment programme.
Mixed doubles is particularly valuable because it puts WTA and ATP stars on the same court in combinations fans normally never see. A partnership such as Sabalenka/Djokovic can attract supporters of both tours while pairs such as Boulter/De Minaur and Svitolina/Monfils bring a personal storyline beyond ordinary tournament competition.
That is an inference from the USTA’s scheduling, promotional treatment and team-focused marketing, but the direction is difficult to miss: mixed doubles is being used as one of the main tools for turning Fan Week into a destination in its own right, rather than simply a warm-up before the US Open begins.
When Is the US Open 2026 Mixed Doubles Final?
The US Open mixed doubles semifinals and final are scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, beginning at 7:00 PM local time in New York at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The final comes four days before the men’s and women’s singles main draws begin on August 30.
About the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship
The mixed doubles competition remains an official Grand Slam championship, despite its unusual Fan Week scheduling and shortened scoring format.
The final composition of the field will not be known until later in August. The USTA will determine the six direct acceptances using combined singles rankings on August 17, with eight wildcard teams completing most of the field and two further partnerships advancing from qualifying.
So while 29 pairings have entered, not all 29 will ultimately compete in the 16-team championship draw.