Djokovic, Sabalenka stunned in US Open mixed doubles

NEW YORK: Tennis fans witnessed a major upset at the US Open as star pairing Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka crashed out of the mixed doubles tournament in their opening match, despite making a flying start at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The top-seeded duo, brought together for the first time in an official Grand Slam mixed doubles contest, defeated Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova and Britain’s Henry Patten in the opening set before their opponents dramatically turned the match around.

Djokovic and Sabalenka took the first set 4-1 and appeared to be in control. However, Siniakova and Patten, both ranked No. 1 in doubles, responded strongly in the second set, winning it 4-2 to force a deciding 10-point match tiebreak.

The Czech-British partnership then produced a stunning finish, racing to a 10-2 victory in the tiebreak and sending the heavily fancied Djokovic-Sabalenka team out of the competition.

The defeat was particularly eye-catching because of the pedigree of the losing pair. Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam singles champion, while Sabalenka entered the tournament as the world No. 1 and reigning US Open women’s singles champion. The pair had generated considerable attention before the tournament after deciding to team up for the revamped mixed doubles event.

For Siniakova and Patten, the victory underlined their expertise in doubles and earned them a place in the quarter-finals, where they were scheduled to face Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.

The mixed doubles championship is being staged ahead of the US Open singles main draw, which is set to begin on August 30. Despite their early exit from doubles, Djokovic and Sabalenka will now turn their attention to their singles campaigns, with expectations still high for both Grand Slam stars.