The first day of the US Open mixed doubles event delivered immediate upheaval, with several of the sport’s biggest names making early exits. Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were all among those sent out after opening-round defeats.

With the redesigned competition drawing strong crowds at Flushing Meadows, the format once again produced plenty of uncertainty. Teams were assembled from players who had never paired before, and in some cases may not have known one another until they stepped on court. Short sets that ended when a side reached four games, or five if the score was 4-4, meant the action moved quickly and so did the surprises.

Alex Eala was one of the first casualties. Playing alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime, she could not find rhythm against Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina, who won 4-1, 4-1. Even so, Eala and Auger-Aliassime each collected $20,000 for reaching the first round.

The same amount went to Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka after their first-round departure. Elsewhere, Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten recovered after dropping the opening set to move into the quarter-finals.

World No 3 Alexander Zverev and Taylor Townsend also bowed out in the opening round after losing to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli. That same Bencic-Cobolli pairing returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium and ended the run of Alcaraz and Williams, winning 5-4, 4-1.

Although prize money has not been a major factor for Alcaraz or Williams for some time, they still earned $60,000 each across their two matches. The last four pairs now move toward Wednesday’s climax, where the title and the biggest pay days remain at stake.

Notably, all four doubles specialist pairings lost on Tuesday to teams made up of singles players, undercutting the idea that regular doubles combinations held the edge in this event.

The semi-finals will feature Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev against Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, while Bencic and Cobolli will try to stop Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina, with Monfils playing his final US Open before ending his career.

Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams have been eliminated from US Open mixed doubles after falling in the quarter-finals to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, leaving attention fixed on what comes next for the defending singles champion in New York.

Their partnership had started brightly. In the opening round, Alcaraz and Williams beat former doubles world No 1-ranked players Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool, with Williams delivering the more commanding performance while Alcaraz made his first competitive appearance since injuring his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April.

The Spaniard produced several sharp moments in front of a full Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, but he later acknowledged that nerves were part of the experience as he shared the court with Williams for the first time.

“I think everybody could see, I double faulted on the first point, I was really nervous,” said Alcaraz after his win against Routliffe and Glasspool.

“Playing alongside Serena, full crowd, after four and a half months [injured], I almost forgot how it feels stepping on the court. But she made it easy for me, I tried to enjoy it and go for it.”

The pair were unable to extend that run, going down 5-4, 4-1 to Bencic and Cobolli. Their brief campaign earned $120,000 in prize money, but it also renewed questions over whether Alcaraz will enter the singles event beginning on Sunday.

That uncertainty has already drawn comment from several observers, including former world No 1 Andy Roddick and 1997 US Open finalist Greg Rusedski, who have said it would be a significant risk for Alcaraz to return to a best-of-five-set match in his first singles tournament in more than four months.

Former British No 1 Laura Robson added to that concern and said: “I don’t know. It’s going to be tough.”

Alcaraz did not appear to be serving at full pace for much of his mixed doubles run, with some first serves landing at under 100 mph. His groundstrokes looked solid enough for a player coming back from a long layoff, but the serve may prove decisive in whether he competes in singles.

Given the seriousness of the wrist issue, some rust was to be expected. Still, unless he was holding back his serve before unleashing it in singles, Alcaraz did not look fully prepared to chase Grand Slam glory in the two matches he played with Williams.

All eyes now turn to whether he remains in the singles draw to be made on Thursday, with a return in an event such as next month’s Laver Cup seen as a realistic alternative if the US Open arrives too soon.

Boris Becker has offered a measured view of Carlos Alcaraz’s return to action, as the Spaniard prepares to come back from a right wrist injury at the US Open.

Alcaraz is scheduled to reappear first in the mixed doubles event, where he will partner Serena Williams. The seven-time major champion has not competed since 14 April and will then move on to the men’s singles draw at Flushing Meadows, which begins on Sunday 30 August.

The 23-year-old arrives as the defending US Open champion and also lifted the 2026 Australian Open in his most recent Grand Slam outing. Even so, Becker does not see the comeback as straightforward, especially with the best-of-five format waiting in New York.

Speaking on the Becker Petkovic podcast with former WTA world No 9 Andrea Petkovic, Becker was asked whether the format makes this a risky return. His answer was blunt.

“What other choice did he have? At some point, he has to jump back into the deep end. Best-of-five, and especially in the New York heat on hard courts, it’s not the ideal time to come back,” said the six-time Grand Slam winner (translated from German).

Becker also pushed back against the idea that Alcaraz should be viewed as the clear favourite for the title.

“For me, he’s not the top favourite. It would already be a huge success for him if he makes it to the second week. He would have won three best-of-five set matches, and he could say his wrist is holding up.

“But I’m incredibly happy to finally see Carlos Alcaraz back on a tennis court. We missed him, we missed his smile, we missed his tennis IQ, and his artistry. And I’m crossing my fingers that he’s fit enough to at least play the first round.”

The former world No 1 said he was also surprised by the bookmakers’ view.

“I find it surprising that [the bookmakers] still see Alcaraz as the favourite. Yes, the odds aren’t quite as good anymore, but he’s still number one,” said Becker.

He added that a four-month absence is too long to expect immediate peak form. “Well, I see it completely differently. To emphasise again, the four-month break is damn long. There’s an old saying that you need at least half of the length of your injury break to get back to where [you were when] you had to stop because of the injury. That would be in two months. I don’t wish that on him.

“But, it would be completely utopian if he reached his best form at the US Open already. Although, even an Alcaraz not in top form can beat one or two opponents.”

Becker finished by noting the uncertainty surrounding the injury itself: “To this day, we don’t know exactly what [injury] he had. He slowly fought his way back. All eyes are on Alcaraz.”