Zverev out early in US Open mixed doubles

German tennis player Alexander Zverev experienced an early exit from the US Open mixed doubles tournament, losing in the first round. Paired with American Taylor Townsend, the 29-year-old Zverev was defeated by the Swiss-Italian duo of Belinda Bencic and Fabio Cobolli. The match concluded swiftly in 49 minutes with a score of 2:4, 2:4. This marks Zverev's second consecutive year being eliminated in the opening round of the mixed doubles event at the U.S. Open. Last year, he competed with Switzerland's Belinda Bencic and also failed to advance past the first round. The mixed doubles competition at the U.S. Open is being held in a new format for the second time this year, with the winning pair set to receive one million US dollars. The format, introduced last year, proved popular with fans for its exhibition-like nature, drawing large crowds to the New York arenas prior to the main Grand Slam tournament. However, the format has drawn criticism from doubles specialists who felt overlooked in qualification. This year, a qualifying tournament was introduced to offer four spots. The Italian pair Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who also compete together in mixed doubles outside of the U.S. Open, won the title in New York last year.