Alcaraz and Serena Williams will play against two Grand Slam champions in the mixed doubles

The Spanish Carlos Alcaraz and the American Serena Williams They will have a complicated debut as a mixed doubles couple today, Tuesday, at the US Open 2026. The draw was a trap, it did not pair them with big names in the singles, which meant having to wait for the result of the previous phase, full of specialists in the modality.

And so it will be, Alcaraz, who barely competes in doubles, and Serena, more accustomed to sharing efforts, will face some accomplished doubles experts. They will have in front of them, not before 8:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time, the New Zealand style Erin Routtlife and the british Lloyd Glasspool.

Two true unknowns at a popular level, more identified in the world of tennis within the doubles universe. Routtlife, 31 years old and world No. 14, and Glasspool, 32 years old and No. 17 (he became No. 1), are Grand Slam champions. She dominated the women’s doubles at the 2025 US Open and he triumphed at Wimbledon 2025.

Both arrive in shape, since a few weeks ago they were in Washington’s doubles record. Routtlife won its thirteenth title, in 25 finals played, together with the Indonesian Aldila SutjiadYo. Glasspool added his fourteenth crown, in thirty finals, along with his regular partner, also British Julian Cash.

If Alcaraz and Williams won, they would then face the quarterfinals, against the best of the duos’ confrontation Belinda Bencic-Flavio Cobolli and Taylor Townsend-Alexander Zverev.

There was a change of script for the No. 1 of the table, the Belarusian ARyna Sabalenka and the Serbian Novak Djokovic. The loss of the American Frances Tiafoe, registered with the Canadian Leylah Fernandez, meant that the European pair was paired with two doubles greats, the Czech Katerina Siniakova and the British Henry Patten.

The matches are played in the best of three sets, with four games in the first two and a super tiebreak in the third. There is no advantage with the ‘deuce’. A formula of shortening the matches, attracting individual stars based on more show than wear. Tuesday, round of 16 and quarterfinals, leaving the semifinals and final for Wednesday. For the champions, a million dollars to distribute.