Stars align as Raducanu pairs up with Alcaraz at US Open mixed doubles

There will be a sprinkling of stardust at the US Open mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz partnering the British women’s No 1, Emma Raducanu, in an event many top players have decided to give a try for the first time. Jannik Sinner will be with the world No 9, Emma Navarro, while the British men’s No 1, Jack Draper, will partner the Olympic women’s singles champion, Zheng Qinwen. Novak Djokovic has agreed to play with his Serbian compatriot Olga Danilovic.

The rush of big names comes after the US Open moved the mixed doubles to the qualifying week, with matches being played on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong courts on 19 August and 20 August.

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The scoring system has been changed, with sets being played to four games. There will be a sudden-death deuce and a tie-break at 4-4, with a 10-point tie-break instead of the third set. The final will be the same, but with six-game sets and the winners will walk away with $1m (£740,000) – an increase of $800,000 from 2024.

Eight pairs have earned entry based on their combined singles ranking, with the other eight pairs decided by the US Open’s wildcard committee. That has caused controversy among some doubles specialists, but Lew Sherr, the US Tennis Association’s CEO, said the new format allowed the world’s best men and women to compete with and against one another. “Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited,” he said. “It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do and we know that the fans will love it.”

The tennis power couple Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa will compete together, but the Australia No 1, Alex de Minaur, said he and his British fiancee, Katie Boulter, had not been invited. “We are definitely keen to play if they allow us to do so.