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feather_ghyllRespect to Swiatek and Alcaraz, coming to New York from their wins at Ohio in very short order to start playing truncated mixed doubles. (Admittedly, they were flown by private jet.) Swiatek and Ruud progressed, Alcaraz and Raducanu did not. The media mourned, I was sarcastic that the team featuring Pegula (the most experienced doubles player in her match) won. She and Draper (he was meant to play with two other players who had dropped out) were top seeds because of their combined singles rankings. They seemed to gel wel, and won the ‘quarter finals’ held on the same day.
As did the defending champions. Errani is never not intense, but you did get the sense that she and Vavassouri were representing proper doubles players as well as playing for themselves. Also through after the first day, Swiatek and Ruud, and Collins and Christian Harrison (who he?)
Oh well, all the players seemed to be enjoying themselves, getting paid to practice their volleys. I watched a lot of the highlights, even though I do take doubles players’ complaints, and have been persuaded that, at the least, the US Open shouldn’t have pretended this new format was a continuation of the mixed doubles as was, because if nothing else, it was an invitational. Even if you didn’t call it that or an exhibition.
On day two, Errani and Vavassouri beat Collins and Harrison, while the Pegula/Draper vs. Swiatek/Ruud match was much closer, and for once, the team who won the first set did not win, with Swiatek/Ruud reeling off points to win the champions tiebreaker.
Commentators would say things like ‘the set’s only lasted X minutes’, but the set was best of four, no advantage.
The final was played in the usual doubles format these days (best of six games) and swung this way and that, going to another champions tiebreak, which was decisively won by Errani and Vavassouri, the pair who know their way around a doubles court. Good for them. I think the US Open may need to have a bit of a rethink, e.g invite more doubles specialists, even if they ‘showcased’ mixed doubles to the ‘casual fan’ and claim success. I can’t see Wimbledon adopting this format because of the grass, and I would say that lightening the overall schedule might help more singles players play doubles. After all, it wasn’t just about the prize money, (Errani and Vavassouri earned a LOT more for this win than last year’s), it was about it being the week before when players were in New York and getting a chance to play as opposed to practice.
As did the defending champions. Errani is never not intense, but you did get the sense that she and Vavassouri were representing proper doubles players as well as playing for themselves. Also through after the first day, Swiatek and Ruud, and Collins and Christian Harrison (who he?)
Oh well, all the players seemed to be enjoying themselves, getting paid to practice their volleys. I watched a lot of the highlights, even though I do take doubles players’ complaints, and have been persuaded that, at the least, the US Open shouldn’t have pretended this new format was a continuation of the mixed doubles as was, because if nothing else, it was an invitational. Even if you didn’t call it that or an exhibition.
On day two, Errani and Vavassouri beat Collins and Harrison, while the Pegula/Draper vs. Swiatek/Ruud match was much closer, and for once, the team who won the first set did not win, with Swiatek/Ruud reeling off points to win the champions tiebreaker.
Commentators would say things like ‘the set’s only lasted X minutes’, but the set was best of four, no advantage.
The final was played in the usual doubles format these days (best of six games) and swung this way and that, going to another champions tiebreak, which was decisively won by Errani and Vavassouri, the pair who know their way around a doubles court. Good for them. I think the US Open may need to have a bit of a rethink, e.g invite more doubles specialists, even if they ‘showcased’ mixed doubles to the ‘casual fan’ and claim success. I can’t see Wimbledon adopting this format because of the grass, and I would say that lightening the overall schedule might help more singles players play doubles. After all, it wasn’t just about the prize money, (Errani and Vavassouri earned a LOT more for this win than last year’s), it was about it being the week before when players were in New York and getting a chance to play as opposed to practice.
