By Randy Walker
@TenniisPublisher
A long-term respected person in the tennis industry in a conversation about the new Open Mixed Doubles Championships called it a TV program. So, because there is terrible weather and some floods in the city of New York, I decided to take the “TV program” from my apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
And it was quite a TV program … Because it was live in person for a sold-out crowd of more than 23,000 fans packed at the trusses in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The script for the final was ideal-two singles players in six-time large Singles champion Iga Swiatek and triple large singles Second Casper Ruud against the Doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, the defensive US Open Mixed Doubles Champions.
Part of the controversy about this newly conceived US Open Mixed Doubles Tournament was the almost complete omission of the double specialists, the entries for the tournament based on rankings of Singles and no double rankings. Errani and Vavassori, the defensive mixed double champions and the winner of the mixed Doubles title at Roland Garros earlier this year, only gained access to the tournament by getting one of the eight Wildcard entries in the event of the US Tennis Association. They were the only team in the reduced 16-team tournament that consisted of double specialists. Errani and Vavassori played for the dignity of all double specialists who had been omitted and not respected in this new format and were proud of a dramatic 6-3, 5-7, (10-6) victory in a decisive 10-point match tiebreak.
“New format, new schedule, new players and the same result … are Errani and Vavassori again in the mixed doubles,” said Patrick Mcenroe on ESPN while the Italians achieved match point.
Established John Mcenroe: “There are many double specialists who now view this, who now love every minute. Good for them.”
In her victory speech, Errani said: “I think this is also for all doubles who couldn’t play this tournament.”
Said Vavassori in his victory speech: “We have shown today that doubles is a great product. I think we need more marketing, more visibility in the future. It was great to play at this court, with so many people, I have to thank from the ground of my heart for the atmosphere.”
In her second speech, Swiatek said to the Italian duo: “You have proven that mixed doubles are tactically better than players singles.”
The event was seen as a huge success-with some criticism of the entry system that eliminates and for the scoring system that led to the last only “Fast 4”-Sets sets four games to four games without scoring. Most critics called the lake and exhibition than a Grand Slam Tournament -worthy event. For the first time in the professional era of the tournament since 1968, the mixed doubles was played in the week before the US Open, giving singles players more likely to play the event and not to interfere with their striving for the singles titles. The two days of the event contain huge crowds and the event received many more media and television attention than the previous format that was buried in the second week of the tournament with little fanfare.
The final was compelling with contrasting playing styles – the double specialists specialists tactical poaching, crossing the net and playing tactical doubles – while Swiatek and Ruud, the singles players, mainly strimed foundations and worked harder to complete points with volleys that they are less used to. Vavassori had the opportunity to win a straight set before he and Errani, who served for the match on 5-4 in the second set, but was broken when the nerves were involved when Errani let a high volley go past her and Vavassori then missed a volley on top of the net at the breaking point. After Swiatek had given a 6-5 lead, Errani was broken to send the game to a decisive 10-point match Tiebreaker, which is common in other Grand Slam Mixed Doubles tournaments. The Italians lead 8-4 and held up to win, Errani almost closed the victory with a point that started with a private serve, which she tends to use, but they could not end the competition with that flowering.
In the semi-final earlier in the night, with the “Fast 4” format, Errani and Vavassori Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison defeated 4-2, 4-2. Before that, Swiatek and Ruud moved on to the final with a dramatic 3-5, 5-3 (10-8) victory over Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula, who won the last six points of the match in the decisive 10-point Tiebreaker match.
After Swiatek was double to go 8-4 in the Tiebreaker match, she and Ruud went on their run. It started when Draper yielded an easy backhand -return from Serve a Swiatek Second Serve Serve – and Mary Joe Fernandez on ESPN soon pointed to the importance of that Miss who said, “That can be huge.” Pegula then lost its next two service points to draw to 8-7, the Ruud won his two service points to hold match point with Draper Serving. After a furious meeting, Swiatek stabbed a backhand volley winner – which she described as “the most important volley of my life” – to close the unlikely comeback.
Errani and Vavassori will split the first prize of $ 1 million, while Swiatek and Ruud will split $ 400,000.
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