Star power meets the precision of doubles specialists.
New York
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka suffered an early exit from the US Open mixed doubles after falling to world number ones Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova in their opening match. The Serbian and Belarusian stars started impressively, taking the first set 4-1 and appearing comfortable despite playing their first official match together. Patten and Siniakova responded by winning the second set 4-2 before dominating the decisive super tie-break 10-2. The match lasted just 54 minutes but delivered one of the tournament’s most striking early results.
Djokovic and Sabalenka initially demonstrated why their partnership had generated enormous attention. They recovered from a 0-40 deficit on return in the opening set and capitalized on a Siniakova double fault to establish control. Their momentum continued when they broke Siniakova’s serve again early in the second set, seemingly moving closer to victory. The specialists then changed the match completely, winning 11 of 13 points during a decisive stretch that forced the encounter into the final tie-break.
Experience in doubles became increasingly visible as the pressure intensified. Patten and Siniakova imposed their coordination and positioning in the decisive phase, while consecutive double faults from Djokovic and Sabalenka helped their opponents establish an advantage they never surrendered. Siniakova delivered the final statement with an ace against Djokovic on match point. The result sent the British-Czech partnership into the quarterfinals against Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina.
The defeat also highlights the unpredictable nature of the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles format, designed to bring major singles stars into a faster and more commercially prominent competition. Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam singles champion, and Sabalenka, the world’s leading women’s singles player, brought extraordinary individual credentials to the court. Patten and Siniakova demonstrated that doubles remains a discipline where positioning, chemistry and specialized tactical instincts can outweigh individual star power. In New York, two of tennis’ biggest names discovered how quickly a short-format match can turn.
Beyond the news, the pattern. / Más allá de la noticia, el patrón.