Serena Williams’ highly anticipated return to Arthur Ashe Stadium ended on Tuesday as she and Carlos Alcaraz were knocked out of the US Open mixed doubles quarterfinals by Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic.
The Italian-Swiss pairing defeated Williams and Alcaraz 5-4(4), 4-1, ending a memorable comeback appearance for the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Serena Receives Huge Arthur Ashe Welcome
Williams had not competed at the US Open since her emotional farewell to professional tennis in 2022.
The 44-year-old received a thunderous reception from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd as she returned to the court, marking an emotional moment for American tennis fans.
Williams, who is not playing in the singles draw, teamed up with Alcaraz for the revamped mixed doubles competition.
Williams and Alcaraz Make Fast Start
The partnership between Williams and Alcaraz immediately captured the attention of the crowd.
The pair smiled and joked throughout their opening match before defeating Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1.
Williams also showed flashes of her trademark power, hitting a 120 mph (193.1 kph) ace that drew an audible reaction from the packed stadium.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, overcame some early rust following his injury layoff and closed out the opening set with a forehand winner.
The pair then dominated the second set and celebrated their victory in matching royal purple outfits.
“I never expected to be back on this court,” Williams said.
Cobolli and Bencic End the Fairytale
The quarterfinal proved a much tougher challenge.
Williams and Alcaraz made several early errors, while Cobolli and Bencic remained composed. Cobolli eventually sealed the opening-set tiebreak with an ace.
The Swiss-Italian duo raised their level further in the second set and committed no unforced errors, preventing Williams and Alcaraz from mounting a comeback.
“It was not easy to play Serena and Carlos,” Cobolli said after the match.
Bencic also described sharing the court with the two stars as a huge honour.
Svitolina and Monfils Await in Semifinals
Cobolli and Bencic will face married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in Wednesday’s semifinals.
Svitolina and Monfils defeated Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova 5-4(6), 4-5(3), 10-8 in the quarterfinals.
Svitolina credited their understanding and chemistry for helping them progress.
“We can find the right words for each other,” she said.
Djokovic and Sabalenka Suffer Early Exit
The revamped US Open mixed doubles event also produced a major first-round upset.
Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka were beaten 1-4, 4-2, 10-2 by established doubles specialists Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova.
Siniakova sealed the surprise victory with an ace.
The mixed doubles competition is being staged in a revamped format designed to put more singles stars in the spotlight and attract larger crowds ahead of the singles tournament.
Other Semifinal Set Confirmed
The other semifinal will feature Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik against Russian pairing Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev.
Andreeva and Rublev advanced after beating defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori 1-4, 4-1, 11-9 before defeating Casper Ruud and Diana Shnaider 4-1, 4-5(9), 10-5.
Despite criticism from some doubles specialists over the revamped format, the event’s debut edition proved commercially successful, attracting sellout crowds and several of the sport’s biggest singles names.