Errani and Vavassori win revamped
US Open mixed doubles to defend their title
[August 21, 2025]
By BRIAN MAHONEY
NEW YORK (AP) — Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori weren't even sure
they would get to defend their U.S. Open mixed doubles title.
Organizers revamped the tournament because they wanted singles
superstars, not doubles specialists.
They not only made it back to New York, they made it back to the
top.
The Italians beat No. 3 seeds Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud 6-3, 5-7
(10-6) on Wednesday night, winning four matches over two days to
earn $1 million— a huge raise over their earnings in New York last
year in a format that looked nothing like this one.
Errani and Vavassori were among the many critics of the changes to
the event that shut out every other traditional doubles pairing, but
had nothing but smiles — and plenty of hugs — after building a quick
lead in the match tiebreaker and holding on in front of a large
crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I think it was important for us to play,” Vavassori said. “Like, I
have to say the initiative was also important because it was really
a statement that doubles can become something better. The stadium
was packed. The people were enjoying it. If something doesn’t work —
like, we showed today that it’s working. Like, the people were going
crazy.”
It was a setting rarely enjoyed by doubles players and what U.S.
Open organizers sought when they overhauled their tournament, moving
it to well before singles play starts Sunday in hopes that tennis'
best-known players would play.
Many of them did. But in the end, the event belonged to the doubles
duo.
Eight teams in the 16-team field qualified by their players’
combined singles rankings, with the remaining teams given wild
cards. Errani doubted the Italians were going to get one.
They eventually did and became the first repeat mixed doubles
champions in Flushing Meadows since Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie
Murray in 2018-19. Both repeatedly said they were representing the
many doubles players who never had the chance to come to New York
with them this year.
“I think this one is also for them,” Errani said.
The event drew past U.S. Open singles champions Carlos Alcaraz, Emma
Raducanu, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka and Daniil Medvedev, all of
whom lost on the first day. Even without them, almost all the seats
were full for the three matches Wednesday night in Arthur Ashe
Stadium, with the roof closed after it rained most of the afternoon.
Ruud acknowledged that the U.S. Tennis Association took a bold risk
with its changes, with critics saying it turned the championship,
with shortened sets to 4 games in the first three rounds, into a
glorified exhibition, rather than the two-week, 32-event of the
past. But even players who specialize in doubles agreed that the
event got way more attention than they are accustomed to.
[to top of second column] |
Andrea Vavassori, right, of Italy, and Sara Errani, left, of Italy,
hold up the championship trophy after defeating Iga Swiatek, of
Poland, and Casper Ruud, of Norway, in the mixed doubles final at
the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in New
York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
“Any time you get a full crowd like this, how can
we keep that going?” Christian Harrison said after he and Danielle
Collins lost 4-2, 4-2 to Errani and Vavassori in the semis. “I mean,
unreal night. I won’t forget this night.”
Swiatek and Ruud edged the top-seeded team of Jessica Pegula and
Jack Draper 3-5, 5-3 (10-8) in the other semifinal, battling back
from an 8-4 deficit in the match tiebreaker.
The No. 2-ranked Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam singles champion,
and Ruud, who has reached three major singles finals, then played
well in the final.
But they couldn’t match the doubles prowess of the Italians, who won
a second major title together at this year’s French Open. Vavassori,
with his height and constant movement around the net, was a hard
target to pass even for Swiatek and Ruud, two accurate ball strikers
from the baseline.
“I think in doubles we showed it's very important know how to play
doubles,” Errani said. “In doubles it's not just serving good,
hitting good, returning good. There are many other things that are
not easy.”
Errani is one of the most accomplished women’s doubles players ever,
having won a career Grand Slam with former partner Roberta Vinci,
along with the 2024 Olympic gold medal with Jasmine Paolini — who
was in the crowd cheering after pulling out of this event after
losing to Swiatek on Monday night in the Cincinnati final.
Swiatek opted to stay in and shared $400,000 with Ruud — double what
Errani and Vavassori earned for winning last year.
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