A two-day tournament piggybacking on the biggest names in singles tennis ended up confirming that the current generation of doubles specialists are indeed the better at what they do.
Defending champions, and wild cards Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, clinched the $1 million top prize at the US Open mixed doubles tournament, a new format from which others of their ilk were kept out.
The Italian pair defeated six-time Grand Slam singles champion Iga Swiatek and three-time Major finalist Casper Ruud 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 in the final on Wednesday. They were the only recognized doubles pairing in the 16-team draw, that was put together to entice the biggest stars in the game and boost viewership and revenue from a format that often struggles to get the limelight.
That a sold-out crowd of 23,000 packed the Arthur Ashe stadium court to watch the finale of a mixed doubles competition was reason enough for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to call their initiative a success, even if some have described it as a glorified exhibition and little more than a TV show.
“This is for all the doubles players who couldn’t play this tournament,” said Errani. Vavassori added: “We have been on a mission.”
The prize money they won was five times what they got for prevailing in a much bigger draw last year.
“We showed that doubles is a great product and in future, we need more marketing and visibility,” added Vavassori. “It was amazing to play on this court, with so many people, I have to say thanks from the bottom of my heart for the atmosphere.”
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Swiatek admitted: “I guess you proved doubles players are smarter tactically than singles players.”
Errani and Vavassori also won the French Open mixed doubles title earlier this year.
“New format, new schedule, new players and the same result… it’s Errani and Vavassori again in the mixed doubles,” said Patrick McEnroe on ESPN as the Italian pair clinched match point.
His brother John added: “There are a lot of doubles specialists out there watching this right now, loving every minute of it. Good for them.”
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That the matches leading up to the final had sets to four games, and not the usual six, with no ad scoring, with the tournament being played a week before the ‘main’ US Open, may prompt some to not consider it a genuine Grand Slam competition and put an asterisk next to it, but it did generate media and fan interest. The format may be here to stay, at least in the final Grand Slam of the calendar year.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
