Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz advance at US Open

Tennis legends Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz kicked off their US Open campaign with a victory in the mixed doubles tournament. The star-studded pair defeated Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and Lloyd Glasspool of Britain 5-3, 4-1.

Despite falling behind 1-3 in the first set, Alcaraz and Williams, both former singles world No. 1s, rallied to dominate the match, showcasing their physical prowess. They will face another pair primarily known for singles in the next round: Italy's Flavio Cobolli and Switzerland's Belinda Bencic.

The US Open revamped its mixed doubles format last year, moving it to the week before the singles tournaments and increasing prize money to generate more interest. While defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori initially criticized the changes, they ultimately benefited from the higher payouts. However, they were eliminated in the first round this year by Russia's Andrey Rublev and Mirra Andreeva. Other top players also faced early exits, with Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka losing their first-round match.