A beloved mixed doubles duo has already been eliminated from the U.S. Open.
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka faced an early exit in the hard-court tournament, losing in the first round to Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten after a tiebreaker battle on Tuesday.
The pair, both highly ranked and seasoned players, kicked things off strongly with a 4-1 lead in the first set, which is, you know, short in mixed doubles. It seemed promising at first, but then things took a turn.
Despite breaking Siniakova and Patten early in the second set, the match shifted quickly, and the opposing duo came back to win that set 4-2.
Things then moved to a decisive 10-point tiebreak, but fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium were left wanting more as Siniakova and Patten cruised to a 10-2 victory.
Next up for Siniakova and Patten is a matchup against the married pair Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals.
As for Djokovic and Sabalenka, they might consider this a warm-up ahead of the singles draw starting on Sunday, August 30.
The singles competition, for both men and women, seems quite open this year heading into the last Grand Slam.
For Djokovic, at 39, this could be one of his best opportunities, especially since Jannik Sinner has withdrawn due to a knee issue and Carlos Alcaraz is returning from a wrist injury that has kept him sidelined since April.
While Alcaraz is always a formidable opponent, his first competition back will be in a best-of-five setting, which adds uncertainty.
Djokovic will also need to overcome competitors like Alexander Zverv, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Rafael Jodar, and the recent Cincinnati winner, Arthur Fils.
One potential concern for Djokovic might be his physical condition after collapsing from the heat during a match in Cincinnati.
In the case of Sabalenka, the pressure is mounting to clinch her first Grand Slam title of the year and defend her championship from last year’s U.S. Open.
The 28-year-old hasn’t quite found her rhythm since sweeping the Sunshine Double in March and hasn’t reached a final in subsequent tournaments, experiencing early exits from Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Her ranking also took a hit after a surprising loss to 20-year-old unseeded player Sara Bejlek in Cincinnati.
Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina was close to taking over the rankings until a knee injury halted her progress in the quarterfinals against Iga Swiatek.
As of Tuesday, Sabalenka is viewed as a +320 favorite for the U.S. Open title, according to DraftKings.
The official singles draws will be announced on Thursday.
