Earlier this year, the American Grand Slam tournament announced that the mixed doubles format will be changed in an attempt to attract the biggest stars on the tours.
For example, the class is decided over just two days and only 16 pairs are allowed to play, compared to 32 pairs in previous years.
A move that seems to have been successful.
"Deeply unfair"
Nine of the top ten players in both the women's and men's singles rankings are on the current list of participants – only world number two Coco Gauff and number nine Holger Rune are missing.
However, the change received criticism in February when the news became public. Last year's US Open winners, the Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, called the decision "deeply unfair".
"It is disrespectful to an entire category of players. Right now, we do not even know if we will get the chance to defend our title," the duo said in a joint statement.
The Italian pair is currently in the starting field, but will likely have to hope for a wildcard if they are to play in August.
The eight pairs with the best combined singles ranking on July 28 will receive direct places. The remaining eight pairs will take their place via wildcards.
New match format
Criticism has also been directed at the new match format.
Each match will be played in the best of three sets and it is the first to four games, not six, that applies. Additionally, each game will be sped up. The team that wins the next point at 40–40 will take the game instead of getting "advantage", as is otherwise the practice.
Any decisive sets will be replaced with tiebreaks where the first to ten points applies. Only in the final is it a little more "as usual", when six games are required to win a set.
The winning pair will share just over 9.5 million kronor.
US Open will be decided on August 24–September 7. The mixed doubles tournament on August 19–20.
Facts: Mixed players in US Open
TT
The preliminary list of participants (a total of 16 pairs) for the mixed doubles tournament in US Open, which will be played in August (singles ranking in parentheses):
Emma Navarro, USA (9)–Jannik Sinner, Italy (1)
Zheng Qinwen, China (4)–Jack Draper, USA (6)
Jessica Pegula, USA (3)–Tommy Paul, do (8)
Jasmine Paolini, Italy (5)–Lorenzo Musetti, do (7)
Jelena Rybakina, Kazakhstan (11)–Taylor Fritz, USA (4)
Mirra Andrejeva, Russia (7)–Daniil Medvedev, do (11)
Madison Keys, USA (6)–Frances Tiafoe, do (13)
Aryna Sabalenka, Belarus (1)–Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria (19)
Iga Swiatek, Poland (8)–Casper Ruud, Norway (16)
Paula Badosa, Spain (10)–Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece (25)
Emma Raducanu, Great Britain (36)–Carlos Alcaraz, Spain (2)
Belinda Bencic, Switzerland (35)–Alexander Zverev, Germany (3)
Olga Danilovic, Serbia (37)–Novak Djokovic, do (5)
Taylor Townsend, USA (97)–Ben Shelton, do (10)
Sara Errani, Italy (243)–Andrea Vavassori, do (336)
Naomi Osaka, Japan (57)–Nick Kyrgios, Australia (633)
