US Open to overhaul mixed doubles event for 2025 with $1 million winner’s prize

The US Open is moving its mixed doubles event a week before the tournament begins, hoping a revamped format and a $1 million prize will persuade top singles players to chase a Grand Slam doubles title.

This year’s event – live on Sky Sports – will feature 16 teams competing over two days in shorter matches.

Tournament organisers believe that can attract the sport’s biggest stars, many of whom have long passed on doubles to keep themselves fresh for singles.

The plan calls for mixed doubles to be contested on August 19-20, during the week when the qualifying rounds for men’s and women’s singles are being held with the main draw in singles beginning on August 24.

“What I would say is the reason behind this is to appeal to more fans and grow the fan base around the world,” said Lew Sherr, executive director and CEO of the US Tennis Association. “But the way to do that is to have the biggest names in the sport participating in doubles, and to showcase them teaming up and playing in a different format, we think is exciting. In fact, we know it’s exciting.”

The early round matches will be best-of-three sets played to just four games, with a deciding point played at deuce.

Tie-breakers would be at 4-4 – rather than 6-6 in a regular match – and a 10-point match tie-breaker would be played if the teams split sets, rather than a third set.

Only the final will closely resemble a Grand Slam match, a best-of-three sets played to six games with no-ad scoring, tie-breakers at 6-6 and a 10-point match tie-breaker.

Eight teams will earn direct entry by their combined singles rankings, with eight other teams given wild cards into the field.

There is a fear the new event will squeeze out doubles specialists who count on Grand Slam paycheques and now lose access to one of them.

To compensate for that, Sherr said the prize money that was allocated to the 32-team mixed doubles tournament at last year’s US Open would be redirected toward men’s and women’s doubles.

“Yes, there’s some that will be disappointed that they won’t have the opportunity to compete in this event,” Sherr said.

“On the other side, we know that there’s a huge opportunity to create more interest globally in doubles and there may be a cascading effect here, that the mixed creates a bigger spotlight on the men’s and women’s doubles when we get into that portion of the tournament.

“We’ll have to see how that plays out, but we do know that our mixed competition historically has been competing with the men’s and women’s singles, and so the fields have suffered and the attention has suffered. This is a chance to give it a massive spotlight over two nights.”

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