Djokovic and Sabalenka Upset in U.S. Open Mixed Doubles First Round

The star-studded mixed doubles pairing of Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka has been eliminated from the U.S. Open after a first-round defeat to the world's No. 1 team.

On Tuesday, the formidable duo of Britain's Henry Patten and Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova, who hold the top ranking in mixed doubles, secured a victory over the Serbian and Belarusian players. The final score was 1-4, 4-2, 10-2 in favor of Patten and Siniakova, concluding the match in just 54 minutes. Djokovic, ranked fifth in the ATP singles, and Sabalenka, the WTA's top-ranked singles player, were competing together for the first time officially.

Despite the loss, Djokovic and Sabalenka demonstrated considerable skill throughout much of the match, which was played best-of-three sets to four games. Their lack of experience in the discipline was not overtly apparent for large portions of the contest. They started comfortably at the net and secured the first set after overcoming a 0-40 deficit on serve and capitalizing on a double fault from Siniakova.

The momentum appeared to shift in favor of Djokovic and Sabalenka when they broke Siniakova's serve again early in the second set. However, a crucial run of 11 points out of 13 by the top-ranked doubles pair propelled them into the deciding third set. In the tiebreak, Patten and Siniakova maintained their advantage, dominating from the start and capitalizing on two double faults from their opponents to seal the victory.