New York, Aug 26 (IANS) Serena Williams’ highly anticipated return to Arthur Ashe Stadium ended in the US Open mixed doubles quarterfinals as she and Carlos Alcaraz were beaten 5-4(4), 4-1 by Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic on Tuesday.
The star pairing got off to a flying start to their comeback campaign earlier in the day, defeating Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 in the opening round. But their run ended against the confident Cobolli and Bencic, who lifted their level at the key moments to set up a semifinal clash against married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.
Williams and Alcaraz made a series of early errors in the quarterfinal, giving Cobolli and Bencic the advantage. Cobolli kept his nerve in the tie-break and wrapped up the opening set with an ace. The Swiss-Italian duo were even more clinical in the second set, not making any unforced errors as they romped to victory and ended the much-anticipated run of the American-Spanish combination.
“I don’t know how I landed on this court – to play Carlos and Serena is a great honour,” said Bencic.
For Williams, the defeat came after an emotional return to the US Open venue where she had last competed during her tearful farewell to professional tennis in 2022.
The 44-year-old was greeted by deafening cheers from the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, with fans celebrating her first appearance at the tournament in three years.
Williams and Alcaraz had earlier shown an easy rapport in their opening-round victory, grinning and laughing their way through the contest. Williams also produced flashes of her trademark power, firing a 120 mph (193.1 kph) ace that drew audible gasps from the crowd.
Alcaraz, who had not played since April because of injury, shook off his early rust and sealed the opening-round victory with a forehand winner before the pair embraced on court in their matching royal purple outfits.
“It’s always such an amazing place to be here,” Williams said. “I never expected to be back on this court.”
Williams’ return was part of the second edition of the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles format, which brings leading singles players into the competition in a bid to attract more fans before the singles main draw.
The new format enjoyed commercial success in its debut year, drawing sellout crowds and featuring several of tennis’ biggest names, although it has also attracted criticism from established doubles specialists who argued that it marginalised traditional pairings.
–IANS
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