US Open Mixed Doubles 2026: Teams, Schedule and How to Watch
US Open Mixed Doubles 2026 runs from Monday, August 24 to Wednesday, August 26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Sixteen teams play for a $1 million winner’s cheque, and the title is decided four days before the singles main draw begins.
The USTA confirmed 11 of the 16 teams on August 17. Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic head the entry list. Three wild cards are still to be named, and two more places come out of Monday’s qualifying draw.
Monday and Tuesday are free to attend. ESPN2 carries the main draw from Tuesday morning.
Quick Facts
| Event | US Open Mixed Doubles Championship presented by Vital Proteins |
| Dates | Monday, August 24 to Wednesday, August 26, 2026 |
| Qualifying | Monday, August 24, eight teams for two main draw places |
| Main draw | Tuesday, August 25 and Wednesday, August 26 |
| Field | 16 teams, 11 confirmed so far |
| Venues | Grandstand, Louis Armstrong Stadium, Arthur Ashe Stadium |
| Winner’s prize | $1 million in 2025, 2026 figure not yet published |
| Defending champions | Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori |
| US TV | ESPN2 and ESPN, streaming on ESPN+ |
US Open Mixed Doubles 2026 Schedule and Start Times
| Date | Stage | Court and start (ET) | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Aug 24 | Qualifying, eight teams for two places | Grandstand, 11 a.m. | Free with a Fan Access Pass |
| Tue, Aug 25 | First round and quarterfinals | Louis Armstrong 10 a.m., Arthur Ashe 11 a.m. | Free in Louis Armstrong |
| Wed, Aug 26 | Semifinals and final | Arthur Ashe, 7 p.m. | Ticketed |
Free days. Monday’s qualifying in the Grandstand and Tuesday’s Louis Armstrong matches are free. Adults need the free Fan Access Pass, explained in our Fan Week guide.
Wednesday night. The semifinals and final are ticketed through Ticketmaster and usopen.org. Arthur Ashe sold out on both mixed doubles nights in 2025, so expect resale prices. Current pricing sits in our tickets guide.
Confirmed Teams in the Main Draw
Six teams entered directly on best combined singles ranking. Five of the eight wild cards were announced on August 17.
| Team | Route in |
|---|---|
| Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic | Direct entry |
| Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz | Direct entry |
| Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev | Direct entry |
| Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud | Direct entry |
| Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli | Direct entry |
| Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien | Direct entry |
| Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori | Wild card |
| Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime | Wild card |
| Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe | Wild card |
| Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev | Wild card |
| Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils | Wild card |
Six current ATP top 10 players are in: Djokovic, Zverev at No. 3, Auger-Aliassime at No. 4, Medvedev at No. 7, Fritz at No. 9 and Cobolli at No. 10.
Still waiting. Three wild cards remain unannounced. Teams that entered and are hoping for one include Venus Williams and Alexander Bublik, Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori, Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, and the brother and sister pair of Peyton and Preston Stearns.
Qualifying Draw: Eight Teams, Two Places
Qualifying is new for 2026 and it is where the doubles specialists sit. Six teams entered on best combined singles or doubles ranking, and two wild cards complete the field of eight. The two winners on Monday take the last main draw spots.
- Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten
- Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliövaara
- Luisa Stefani and Neal Skupski
- Aleksandra Krunic and Mate Pavic
- Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo
- Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool
Between them these six teams hold multiple Grand Slam doubles titles. One good Monday and any of them lands in a draw full of singles stars.
Format Rules
| Rule | Qualifying to semifinals | Final |
|---|---|---|
| Sets | Best of three, sets to four games | Best of three, sets to six games |
| Tiebreak in a set | At four games all | At six games all |
| Third set | 10-point match tiebreak | 10-point match tiebreak |
| Deuce | No-ad, next point wins | No-ad, next point wins |
Short sets plus no-ad scoring makes matches fast and volatile. One break, or one sudden death point, can take a set. That is the point of the design, and it is why singles players agree to play.
Teams to Watch
Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic. Sabalenka is world No. 1 and won the US Open singles title in 2024 and 2025. Djokovic is ranked No. 5 at 39. He played mixed doubles here for the first time last year with Olga Danilovic and lost in the opening round.
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Champions in 2024 and 2025, chasing a third in a row. They beat Swiatek and Ruud 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 in last year’s final. Nobody in the field reads a short format better.
Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud. Back after losing that final by two points.
Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz. Two of the biggest serves in tennis on one side of the net. They were second seeds in 2025 and lost in the first round to Errani and Vavassori, which tells you how little seeding means here.
Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev. Townsend is a former doubles world No. 1. Pair that court craft with the world No. 3 and this is the most balanced team in the draw.
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils. Married, and the crowd favourite by some distance.
The real question is whether specialists beat stars again. Errani and Vavassori have won this twice while most singles players treat it as a warm-up, and three days is not long enough to learn doubles.
How to Watch US Open Mixed Doubles 2026
ESPN published its Fan Week grid on August 19. Every main draw match is on television or streaming.
| Date and time (ET) | Stage | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Aug 25, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | First round and quarterfinals | ESPN2 and ESPN+ |
| Tue, Aug 25, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. | Remaining first round and quarterfinals | ESPN+ |
| Wed, Aug 26, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Semifinals | ESPN2 and ESPN+ |
| Wed, Aug 26, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. | Final | ESPN and ESPN+ |
Monday’s qualifying is not on ESPN’s published grid, so watch it in person in the Grandstand or check ESPN+ on the day.
Outside the United States. Mixed doubles sits inside the same rights deals as the main draw: Sky Sports and NOW in the UK and Ireland, TSN and RDS in Canada, Stan Sport in Australia, and Eurosport or HBO Max across much of Europe. No extra subscription is needed. Country by country detail is in our live stream guide.
Prize Money
The USTA has not published the 2026 breakdown. These are the 2025 payouts per team, and they are the working baseline until New York confirms otherwise.
| Result | 2025 payout per team |
|---|---|
| Winners | $1,000,000 |
| Runners-up | $400,000 |
| Semifinalists | $200,000 |
| Quarterfinalists | $100,000 |
| First round | $20,000 |
The $1 million top prize arrived in 2025, a 400 percent rise on 2024. It is the single reason the entry list looks like this. Full tournament payouts sit in our prize money guide.
Why the Format Changed
Mixed doubles used to run in the second week on an outside court in front of a few thousand people.
In 2025 the USTA moved it to Fan Week, cut the draw from 32 teams to 16, put it in the two biggest stadiums and raised the winner’s cheque to $1 million. Doubles specialists objected hard. Errani and Vavassori called it a profound injustice and a pseudo exhibition, then entered, won it and collected the money.
The redesign won Sports Business Journal’s Sports Breakthrough of the Year. Adding a qualifying round for 2026 answers the loudest complaint by giving specialists a route back in.
FAQ about US Open Mixed Doubles 2026
When is the US Open mixed doubles final?
Wednesday, August 26 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The session starts at 7 p.m. ET with the semifinals, and the final follows at about 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Which teams are confirmed for the 2026 mixed doubles?
Eleven of 16 were confirmed on August 17: six direct entries led by Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, plus wild cards for Errani and Vavassori, Eala and Auger-Aliassime, Fernandez and Tiafoe, Townsend and Zverev, and Svitolina and Monfils. Three wild cards and two qualifiers complete the draw.
Can you watch the mixed doubles for free?
Yes, on two of the three days. Monday’s qualifying is free in the Grandstand and Tuesday’s matches are free in Louis Armstrong Stadium. Adults need a free Fan Access Pass. Wednesday’s semifinals and final are ticketed.
What channel is the US Open mixed doubles on?
ESPN2 shows Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET and the semifinals on Wednesday from 7 p.m. ET. The final moves to ESPN at 9 p.m. ET. Everything also streams on ESPN+ in the ESPN App.
How are the rules different from normal doubles?
From qualifying through the semifinals, sets are first to four games with a tiebreak at four all, scoring is no-ad, and a 10-point match tiebreak replaces a third set. Only the final is played to six games.
Who won the 2025 US Open mixed doubles?
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who beat Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud 6-3, 5-7, 10-6. They also won in 2024 and are chasing a third straight title.
How much do the winners get?
The 2025 champions split $1 million, with $400,000 for the runners-up and $20,000 for a first round loss. The USTA has not published the 2026 figures yet.
Is mixed doubles part of the US Open main draw?
No. It is a Fan Week event and finishes on August 26. The singles main draw starts on Sunday, August 30.
US Open Mixed Doubles 2026 is settled in three days, and the draw is not finished yet. Three wild cards land this week, qualifying decides the last two places on August 24, and the champions are crowned on Arthur Ashe on the night of August 26.
We update this page as each team is confirmed, then follow the results through to the final.
Updated 19 August 2026
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