Fourteen of the 16 teams for the 2026 US Open mixed doubles have now been set, with Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams among the newest pairings confirmed.

After last year’s revamped format delivered strong interest, US Open organisers have kept the competition on the same schedule, placing it before the singles main draw. The winning team will again play for $1,000,000, and the draw has already attracted attention through several headline pairings.

Last year’s field included Iga Swiatek with Casper Ruud, Emma Raducanu with Carlos Alcaraz, Jessica Pegula with Jack Draper, and Elena Rybakina with Taylor Fritz. That approach created plenty of buzz during Fan Week, though the title ultimately went to the doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who defended their crown.

For 2026, Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic are expected to be the top seeds based on combined singles rankings. Pegula and Fritz will team up after Draper’s injury rules him out, while Rybakina’s own fitness remains uncertain after she picked up an injury before the tournament.

Swiatek and Ruud are back after finishing runner-up in 2025, while Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien, have also formed new combinations. Diana Shnaider is listed as a confirmed entrant, although her partner has not yet been named.

Among the wildcard teams, Errani and Vavassori will try to win a third straight title in New York. Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime also stand out, and Auger-Aliassime said: “It’s a great opportunity because obviously I didn’t play last year, but this time around to kind of feel what it’s like to have the Eala effect and fan base behind me,” and “It’s going to be it’s going to be funny because she’s younger than me, but she has a fan base, right? Like she’s carrying the crowd. So, it’s going to be interesting.”

Two more places will be decided through qualifying on 24 August, with the mixed doubles event scheduled for 25-26 August at Flushing Meadows.

The US Open has been left with notable absences on both sides of the draw, with seven ATP players and nine WTA players withdrawn from the 2026 field.

World No 1 Jannik Sinner, the 2024 US Open champion, confirmed on Friday that he will not take part in Flushing Meadows after sustaining a right knee injury following Wimbledon. His exit brings a change at the top of the men’s seeding, with world No 2 Alexander Zverev now set to lead the field in New York. Carlos Alcaraz will be seeded second, Felix Auger-Aliassime third and Novak Djokovic fifth.

Alcaraz, however, provides a lift to organisers. He has confirmed his return to defend the title and is due back after a three-month absence caused by a wrist injury.

Sinner is one of two seeded men to pull out from the entry list. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who was projected to be 26th, is also out because of a back injury. Holger Rune has joined the list of absentees as his comeback from an Achilles injury has been delayed once more.

Rune underwent surgery last October and had been seen practising with Alcaraz in Murcia this week, which raised hopes of an earlier return after 10 months away. Instead, he explained the decision on social media: “Really happy with my improvement and level. And we keep working.

“My team and I have decided not to have a Grand Slam as my first tournament coming back. @usopen see you next year.”

The women’s withdrawal list is headed by world No 17 Victoria Mboko, who remains sidelined with the knee injury she suffered after slipping at the Queen’s Club Championship in June. She is the only seeded player to withdraw so far.

There is also uncertainty around world No 2 Elena Rybakina after she aggravated an ankle injury at the Cincinnati Open. She retired after five games against Iga Swiatek in the quarter-final and said: “It’s painful to walk, and we will know more tomorrow when I do the MRI,” before adding: “It’s been bothering me for a long period of time. It was under control, but then after playing a lot of matches in Canada and coming here playing two matches in a row.”

Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams have been granted a wildcard into the US Open mixed doubles draw, ending months of speculation about a partnership between two of tennis’ most recognizable names.

The announcement comes after Alcaraz confirmed on Thursday that he will return to competitive action at the New York Grand Slam. The Spaniard has missed four months of the season because of an ongoing wrist injury, but he is now set to defend his singles title at the event as well as feature in the mixed doubles field.

For Williams, the appearance offers another step in her return to the sport after a nearly four-year ‘evolution’ away from tennis during the grass-court season. Her comeback has already included a singles return at Wimbledon, where she picked up a knee injury, and later a doubles outing with her sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open. That match ended in a 6-2 1-6 10-8 loss to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

The six-time US Open champion also has a personal connection to the tournament, having first indicated at the 2022 edition that she would retire from the game she once dominated. This mixed doubles run now gives her another competitive outing before the singles draw begins, although the format features shorter matches than traditional Grand Slam contests.

The event will be staged from August 24-26 and will be the second edition of the redesigned mixed doubles competition. The USTA cut the field from 32 teams to 16, moved it into Fan Week before the singles main draw, and added $1 million for the winners. The format uses short sets to four games, no-ad scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a third set.

Six pairs qualified directly through combined singles rankings, eight teams received wildcards, and the final two places will be decided by a new eight-team qualifying event on August 24. The confirmed field also includes Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, and defending champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani.

Last year, Vavassori and Errani retained their title by beating Ruud and Swiatek 6-3 5-7 10-6 in the final.