Monfils and Svitolina reach US Open mixed doubles semifinals

French player Gaël Monfils and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina have secured a spot in the US Open mixed doubles semifinals. The real-life couple defeated Czech Katerina Siniakova and British Henry Patten, both world No. 1s in doubles, in a hard-fought quarterfinal match.

The victory came after a challenging contest, with Monfils and Svitolina winning 5-4 (8/6), 4-5 (3-7), and 10-8. This win advances them to the semifinals, where they await their next opponents. The pair had previously defeated Alexandra Eala of the Philippines and Félix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in their opening match.

In a surprising turn of events, top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka were eliminated in their debut match. They lost to Patten and Siniakova in the initial round with a score of 1-4, 4-2, and 10-2.

The US Open's mixed doubles event this year features prominent singles stars, a strategy by organizers to boost interest in the discipline. Among the notable pairings is legendary Serena Williams, 44, teaming up with Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz, 23. Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, is not competing in the women's singles after not receiving a special invitation from the USTA. Williams and Alcaraz are set to face Lloyd Glasspool of Britain and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand.