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NEW YORK CITY : Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori retained their US Open mixed doubles title on Wednesday, beating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud to claim the $1 million top prize in the new-look competition that kicked off action at the last Grand Slam of the year.

The Italians capped two days of intense work in the 16-team event with a 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 victory over Swiatek and Ruud — who were among a slew of singles stars drawn not only by the big purse but also by the chance to contest mixed doubles before singles action begins on Sunday.

Poland’s Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion ranked second in the world, battled through a two-hour tussle with Jasmine Paolini to win the Cincinnati Open on Monday then hot-footed it to New York to team up with Norway’s Ruud in the revamped competition.

Carlos Alcaraz, men’s champion in Cincinnati, also turned out but he and British playing partner Emma Raducanu were eliminated on Tuesday, as was superstar Novak Djokovic, who teamed with fellow Serb Olga Danilovic.

The star names drew big crowds but the chemistry between Italians Errani and Vavassori, cultivated over a two-year on-court partnership that also saw them win the French Open title this year, proved decisive.

Errani hoped it showed that committed doubles teams — many of whom were shut out of the field — have plenty to offer.

“I think this one is also for all the doubles players that couldn’t play this tournament,” Errani said as she and Vavassori accepted the trophy. “I think this one is also for them.”

Errani and Vavassori roared to a 4-1 lead in the opening set of the championship match and after Swiatek and Ruud regained one break, closed it on a confident hold from Vavassori.

Down a break at 4-5 in the second, Swiatek and Ruud won three straight games to force the 10-point match tiebreaker.

The Italians grabbed a 4-0 lead in the tiebreaker and held on.

“Congratulations,” Swiatek said at the trophy presentation. “You proved that, I guess, mixed doubles players are smarter tactically than singles players.

“But we pushed until the end. We tried to make it competitive.”

The first three rounds — including the semifinals on Wednesday night — were played with short sets with no-advantage scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set, before the final reverted to traditional sets with a 10-point match tiebreak.

Swiatek and Ruud had clawed their way past top seeds Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper with a 3-5, 5-3, 10-8 semifinal victory, winning the last six points to advance.

Errani and Vavassori romped past the American duo Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison 4-2, 4-2 to reach the final.

Vavassori admitted he and Errani were on a “mission” to prove themselves against the singles stars.

But both relished the electric atmosphere under the lights on the jam-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium Court.

“It’s the court where I feel goosebumps every time here,” Errani said.

Vavassori also enjoyed the “amazing atmosphere” and thanked organizers for putting mixed doubles in the spotlight.

“I have to say that we showed today that doubles is a great product,” he said. “I think it was amazing to play on this court with so many people and I have to say thanks from the bottom of my heart for the atmosphere.”
 

NEW YORK: Iga Swiatek shrugged off lingering weariness to partner Casper Ruud to back-to-back victories in the revamped mixed doubles competition at the US Open on Tuesday.

Swiatek — who on Monday had battled through a two-hour tussle with Jasmine Paolini to win the Cincinnati Open — looked full of energy as she and Ruud powered into Wednesday’s semifinals.

Swiatek and Ruud needed just 39 minutes to dispatch the US pairing of Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe 4-1, 4-2 in their opening game at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and then reappeared roughly 20 minutes later to defeat Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti 5-3, 4-2 in their quarterfinal clash.

The victories capped a gruelling 24 hours for Polish star Swiatek, who hot-footed it to the airport after Monday’s win in Cincinnati and only arrived at her hotel in New York in the early hours of Tuesday.

“Honestly the last two days have felt like one day, but I’m super happy to be here,” Swiatek said, adding that her tight turnaround had helped her unwind after her exertions in Cincinnati.

“Honestly I think actually it’s kind of nice for the recovery,” Swiatek said. “To have another task and to not let yourself be lazy but also focused on the next exciting thing.”

Ruud and Swiatek had just enough time to fit in a quick practice before taking to the court in their first match as a doubles pairing.

“I was happy to team up with Iga,” Ruud said afterwards. “She’s on the winning train these days so I’m just jumping on the train and let’s see if we can win some more before the mixed doubles is over.

“I think everyone should show some appreciation to Iga today. She only got to her hotel 12 hours ago at 2.30am, and she’s here playing.”

Swiatek and Ruud will meet top seeds Jessica Pegula of the US and Britain’s Jack Draper in Wednesday’s semifinals.

Pegula and Draper clicked smoothly to eliminate the glamor pairing of Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu 4-2, 4-2 in the first round before easing past Russia’s Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva 4-1, 4-1 in the quarter-finals.

Medvedev and Andreeva had earlier romped past Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic in straight sets in the first round, winning 4-2, 5-3.

In other results on Tuesday, US tennis icon Venus Williams and partner Reilly Opelka exited against Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev, losing 4-2, 5-4.

Italy’s reigning champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani ousted second seeds Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz 4-2, 4-2.

Earlier Tuesday, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the mixed doubles was confirmed as expected. Sinner, who retired due to illness in the first set of his Cincinnati Open final with Alcaraz on Monday, was due to partner Katerina Siniakova in the doubles.

Sinner and Siniakova were replaced in the draw by the American duo of Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison.

This year’s US Open mixed doubles competition is being held over Tuesday and Wednesday in the week before the main singles draws get under way.

The tournament is using a modified scoring system, with short sets to four games, no-advantage scoring, tiebreakers at four-all and a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set.

The final will be a best-of-three set match to six games, featuring no-advantage scoring, with tiebreakers at six-all and a 10-point match tiebreaker instead of a third set, with the winning pairing pocketing $1 million.