Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik won the US Open mixed doubles title, defeating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3 1-6 10-6 in the final. The pair secured their first Grand Slam titles and $1 million in prize money, with Mensik hitting a 131 mph ace on the final match point.
Muchova and Mensik had never played doubles together before the tournament. The Czech pairing saved two match points during their semifinal against Andrey Rublev and Mirra Andreeva before advancing to the final. Both semifinal matches were decided by 10-point tiebreaks.
Muchova, 30, had been out of action since undergoing surgery and was returning to competition just over six weeks after losing to fellow Czech Linda Noskova in the Wimbledon final. Mensik, 20, was a semifinalist at this year's French Open and had never played mixed doubles before the event.
"It's good we tried a lot of things on the court," Mensik said. "It gives you a little bit of boost of confidence."
The mixed doubles format has expanded this year with a qualifying competition and significant increases in prize money, which now matches that of the men's and women's doubles. The tournament will feature several high-profile exhibitions and events during its expanded Fan Week, which begins nine days before the main singles draw.
