Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz eliminated in US Open mixed doubles quarterfinals

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz were defeated by Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic in the US Open mixed doubles quarterfinals with a score of 5-4(4), 4-1. This match marked Williams' return to Arthur Ashe Stadium after her retirement in 2022. The pair had previously won their opening match against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 earlier on the same day. Despite an early strong performance, Williams and Alcaraz struggled against Cobolli and Bencic, who will advance to face married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the semifinals. Cobolli commented on the challenge of playing against Williams and Alcaraz, stating, "Playing Serena and Carlos on Arthur Ashe is not easy. I was tired before the match, I’m tired now." Williams demonstrated her skill with a 120mph (193.1km/h) ace during their opening match, but the duo faced difficulties in the quarterfinals, making early mistakes. Bencic acknowledged the honor of playing against such renowned opponents. The mixed doubles format has been revamped to attract more fans, and this year has seen sellout crowds. Other notable results included top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka being eliminated in the first round by Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova. Patten and Siniakova later lost to Svitolina and Monfils in the quarterfinals. In another match, Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik are set to compete against Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev in the other semifinal. Additionally, Roger Federer made a return to Arthur Ashe Stadium for a fun exhibition match against Andy Roddick, drawing a large crowd of fans.