Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz were eliminated from the US Open mixed doubles quarter-finals on Tuesday, losing 5-4(4) 4-1 to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli at Flushing Meadows.
The blockbuster pairing, who were granted a wildcard into the revamped event, had earlier beaten doubles specialists Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool in their opening match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. They returned moments later for the quarter-final, where their run came to an end.
Return to Arthur Ashe
For Alcaraz, the match marked his first competitive outing of any kind since April, having been sidelined for more than four months with a wrist injury. For Williams, it was her first appearance on Arthur Ashe Stadium since she retired on the same court in 2022, having returned to tennis earlier this summer.
Djokovic ends practice early
Elsewhere, four-time champion Novak Djokovic has not won a match since July 7, and ended one of his practice sessions early on Tuesday. It came hours after he and Aryna Sabalenka lost their opening mixed doubles match to doubles world No. 1s Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten.
Qualifying is underway at the tournament, with several Brits, former champion Bianca Andreescu, and ex-top 10 stars Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov progressing through the preliminary rounds.
