Carlos Alcaraz-Emma Raducanu land top seeds in first round as US Open mixed doubles draw throws up blockbuster

The US Open 2025 threw up a blockbuster clash, as Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz will face the No. 1-seeded team in the first round. The draw was conducted on Sunday, and the two-day event, which pays $1 million to the winning team, will begin on Tuesday. Emma Raducanu-Carlos Alcaraz to face top seeds in US Open mixed doubles

Alcaraz and Raducanu, both former US Open singles champions, have generated huge hype around their pairing, even sparking media and fan speculation about a possible romance. They will face the top-seeded duo of Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, who earned the No. 1 seeding based on the lowest combined singles rankings.

Jannik Sinner, the ATP world No. 1, has also found a new partner in 10-time women’s doubles major champion Katerina Siniakova. He was earlier slated to team up with Emma Navarro, who withdrew to play the women’s tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, next week. Sinner and Siniakova, who received one of the eight wild cards, will open against Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic.

Both Alcaraz and Sinner head into the mixed doubles after a gruelling week in Cincinnati. They are scheduled to meet in Monday’s singles final before a quick turnaround to their openers in New York.

Iga Swiatek, despite also reaching the Cincinnati final after beating Elena Rybakina, will feature in the revamped US Open fixture alongside Casper Ruud. However, Jasmine Paolini, who was to partner fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti, withdrew from the event.

Other notable pairings added on Sunday include two-time US Open women’s champion Naomi Osaka with Gael Monfils, Karolina Muchova with Andrey Rublev, and Caty McNally with Lorenzo Musetti.

The event will comprise four rounds. The first two rounds will be played on Tuesday, with the semifinals and final scheduled for Wednesday night.

Other first-round matchups: Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic vs. Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev; No. 3 Swiatek and Ruud vs. Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe; Osaka and Monfils vs. McNally and Musetti; Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton vs. No. 4 Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune; Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka vs. Muchova and Rublev; and No. 2 Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz vs. Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.

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