The revamped US Open mixed doubles event has been branded an exhibition by former British player and commentator Andrew Castle, who says it has taken jobs away from specialist doubles players.
The tournament gets underway next week with a new format for 2026. In 2025, organisers announced a radical overhaul, staging the event across two days during 'Fan Week', the week before the main draws begin. There are just 16 teams in the field, with fast-four scoring used until the final.
New qualifying event and star entries
For 2026, a one-day qualifying event has been added, allowing players to enter using their doubles rankings, with two teams qualifying for the main draw. High-profile duos have already signed up, including Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, and last year's runners-up, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud.
Castle, a former BBC Wimbledon commentator, told Betway: "It's a shame for mixed doubles, like the proper players, because this is, for me, an exhibition. It's a one-week filler."
Criticism of the format
The Majors have been expanding their offerings during their respective qualifying weeks, with additional tournaments and high-profile practice sessions. Castle believes the mixed doubles is the US Open's attempt at this.
"So, everybody's looking to extend their Grand Slams that extra week through qualifying on site, through various activities, including the one-point challenge in Australia for a million bucks," he continued. "The mixed doubles is filling that role, so... so kind of the people who play doubles, that's less jobs for them, and the tournament is over before it's begun, for them, and there are less jobs for doubles people. So that's my first thought. My second thoughts really are, okay, it's extending the revenue raising into a third week for a two-week Grand Slam."
Castle added: "It's a bit like the Masters Series extending to 10 days and two weeks instead of a week, and I understand why it stretches it out; it stretches out the commercial revenues and all the rest of it. But for me, it's an exhibition. It doesn't mean much. I hope they have fun, and it's a bit of a giggle.
"But don't tell me that Djokovic and Sabalenka playing together is the highest form of art in our world, in our tennis world, because it isn't. I view it higher by a long way than [Nick] Kyrgios v Sabalenka in the exhibition match. But I still put it into a kind of exhibition category.
"Maybe I'll be proved wrong in a little bit, because when it gets down to it, the last couple of matches, people suddenly realise there's a Grand Slam title on the line. So, then it gets real."
Qualifying field and wildcards
The US Open mixed doubles qualifying has attracted a host of top doubles players, including the WTA and ATP No. 1s, Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten. Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara, and Luisa Stefani and Neal Skupski are also among those set to compete in the preliminary rounds.
Two-time defending champions and doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have received main draw wildcards. There are still three wildcards to be announced, but Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev are among the recipients.
