Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik captured the US Open mixed doubles championship on Wednesday night, marking a successful debut for the Czech duo. The pair defeated Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6 (10-6) to claim the title and a shared prize of $1 million. The victory was clinched in style when Mensik delivered an ace to seal the final tiebreaker.
The partnership began with a bit of fashion coordination, as Mensik reached out to Muchova via text before the tournament to ensure their outfits matched. The pair sported pink tops and maroon bottoms throughout the event, a choice Muchova jokingly credited as a key factor in their success. Mensik, who admitted he had never previously competed in a mixed doubles event, celebrated his perfect record, stating, “My first mixed doubles, 100% win rate.”
Their path to the trophy was far from straightforward. In the semifinals, the duo narrowly avoided elimination by erasing two match points against Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, eventually winning 5-4 (6), 3-5 (11-9). Muchova remained resilient throughout the tournament, even after a moment of frustration during the semifinals when she missed a volley that gave the Russian pair a 7-5 lead in the tiebreaker.
The road to the final was paved by a specific requirement: when Mensik initially asked to partner with her, Muchova insisted he improve his singles ranking to meet the tournament’s combined entry criteria. Mensik complied by reaching the semifinals of the French Open. “I put a little pressure on him, but in a fun way. It worked,” Muchova noted. “I’m happy we managed and we got in, that we are here now.”
The tournament featured a revamped format for the second consecutive year, with matches shortened to sets of four games and a tiebreaker at 4-all until the final. This structure was intended to attract top singles talent, though many high-profile names, including Serena Williams, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic, and Jessica Pegula, exited the competition early. The final, which started late in the evening following two lengthy semifinals, saw Bencic and Cobolli fall just short after a strong run that included a quarterfinal victory over Williams and Alcaraz.
Bencic and Cobolli had previously ended the run of Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the semifinals with a 4-5 (7), 4-1 (10-5) win. The match against the married couple, who were playing together for the first time, was particularly notable as it marked a final Grand Slam appearance for Monfils before his upcoming retirement on September 1, just before his 40th birthday. During that match, a pivotal moment occurred when Bencic accidentally struck Cobolli with a cross-court backhand, contributing to a set loss.
Despite the high stakes, the Czech champions maintained their focus. Reflecting on the experience, Mensik expressed newfound appreciation for his chosen color palette, remarking, “My favorite color right now is pink and maroon, that’s for sure.” For Cobolli, the experience remained a highlight of his season, noting that while it was a mixed doubles event, playing in a Grand Slam final was an unforgettable milestone. The report also notes that he figured, looking good on the court is important. The report also notes that now they look like a million bucks. The report also notes that really the matching outfit made the difference for us,” Muchova said, i think at the end. The report also notes that thanks in part to her hard-serving partner, who will turn 21 next week, but the Wimbledon women’s runner-up never lost belief. The report also notes that with standard sets to six games and a tiebreaker at 6-all, the final was the only match of the tournament that resembled a regular match.
