Iga Swiatek showed no signs of fatigue as she joined forces with Casper Ruud to notch back-to-back wins in the revamped US Open mixed doubles competition on Tuesday.
ALSO READ: Messi Leads Argentina’s Revamped Squad for World Cup Qualifiers
The Polish world number one had only just completed a draining two-hour final in Cincinnati against Jasmine Paolini on Monday before flying overnight to New York. With barely 12 hours between her arrival at the hotel and her first match, Swiatek looked sharp as she and Ruud cruised into the semi-finals.
The pair first dismissed home favorites Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe 4-1, 4-2 in just 39 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Barely 20 minutes later, they returned to court and overpowered Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti 5-3, 4-2 in the quarter-finals.
“Honestly, the last two days have felt like one day, but I’m super happy to be here,” Swiatek said, reflecting on her whirlwind schedule. Ruud, equally delighted with their partnership, praised her resilience: “She only got to her hotel at 2:30am, and she’s here playing. I think everyone should show some appreciation to Iga today.”
McNally and Musetti had earlier advanced by defeating Naomi Osaka and Gael Monfils. Meanwhile, Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka bowed out against Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev, while defending champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani upset second seeds Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz.
In another development, Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal was confirmed following the illness that forced him to retire in the Cincinnati Open final. He and Katerina Siniakova were replaced in the draw by Americans Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison.
This year’s mixed doubles event, played over two days before the singles competition begins, features a shortened scoring format designed to create fast-paced matches. The final will be played under an extended format, with the champions earning $1 million in prize money.
