NEW YORK (AP) — Rising women's star Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, spouses Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, and two-time defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have been given wild cards into the U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament.
The U.S. Tennis Association on Monday set 11 of the 16 teams that will be in the championship, with six teams qualifying directly because of their combined rankings and five being given wild cards.
Topping the field is the team of No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and 24-time men's Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic, who have the lowest combined singles ranking of any team that entered.
Also qualifying directly, in order of their rankings: Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud — the runner-up team last year — Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, and Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien.
The remaining wild cards given Monday went to the teams of Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev.
The first round and quarterfinals will be played Aug. 25, with the semifinals and final set for Aug. 26. All of the matches will be played either in Arthur Ashe Stadium or Louis Armstrong Stadium, the two biggest venues.
Three remaining wild-card spots are still to be announced, and the final two teams in the two-day main draw will earn their way in through an eight-team qualifying tournament to be played Aug. 24.
The teams given spots in the qualifying tournament Monday: Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten, Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara, Luisa Stefani and Neal Skupski, Aleksandra Krunic and Mate Pavic, Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo, and Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool.
Two more teams will be given wild cards into the qualifying tournament.
Eala, 21, earned her first career title two weeks ago at the DC Open, becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour event, and has been drawing large crowds to her matches.
Monfils is at the opposite end of his career, with the popular Frenchman planning to retire after this season.
Errani and Vavassori won the title in New York in 2024, but the Italians weren't sure they would even get to defend it after the USTA revamped the event last year in an effort to draw top singles players who had long been shunning mixed doubles.
They were eventually given a wild card, becoming the only traditional doubles team in the event, and beat Swiatek and Ruud in the final.
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Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press
