Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz made a winning debut at the 2026 US Open on Tuesday, advancing to the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles tournament.
The star pairing defeated Britain’s Lloyd Glasspool and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe in straight sets, winning 5-3, 3-1 in the shortened mixed doubles format.
The match marked Williams’ return to competitive action at Arthur Ashe Stadium since her retirement from professional tennis in 2022. The six-time US Open singles champion received a huge reception from the New York crowd.
Alcaraz, the defending US Open men’s singles champion, admitted he was nervous at the beginning of the match after being out of action for more than four months because of injury.
However, the pair quickly found their rhythm. After Alcaraz initially lost serve, Williams and the Spaniard fought back strongly, breaking their opponents twice to take control.
Williams produced a trademark forehand winner before Alcaraz sealed the opening set with a powerful passing shot.
The duo will now face Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the quarter-finals.
Their surprise partnership has quickly become one of the major attractions of this year’s US Open.
