Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz are gearing up for their debut at the US Open Mixed Doubles tournament, and their potential route couldn’t be much tougher.
There is still doubt over whether Alcaraz and Raducanu will play the US Open, with the Spaniard’s appearance in the Cincinnati Open final.
There are just 24 hours between Alcaraz’s final against Sinner and his doubles debut with Raducanu at the US Open.
Nevertheless, the popular pair are still entered in the competition and they’ve been handed an incredibly tough draw.
Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu handed tough draw at the US Open
Alcaraz and Raducanu will begin their journey to the $1m US Open prize by playing the British No. 1’s compatriot, Jack Draper, alongside Jessica Pegula.
The British and American pair are the number one seeds for the tournament, which is based on their respective singles rankings.
Should Raducanu and Alcaraz topple the top seeds, who have been handed a wild card for the tournament, get through that one they’ll likely play the team of Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilović.
| Round | Opponents |
| Round One | Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper |
| Quarter-Finals | Olga Danilović and Novak Djokovic |
| Semi-Finals | Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud |
| Finals | Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz |
The field is stacked with singles Grand Slam winners, but it’s hard to look past the team of Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in the final.
While Sinner and Kateřina Siniaková could prove trouble in the tournament, the number two seeds of Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz will be the likely final opponent.
Who could miss the US Open Mixed Doubles tournament?
The incredibly brief gap between the Cincinnati Open final and the US Open Mixed Doubles tournament could mean there are plenty of dropouts for the tournament.
Tennis journalist Jose Morgado believes Sinner, Alcaraz, and Swiatek will drop out, with each making the Cincinnati Open final.
There are just an 18-hour turnaround for Swiatek, while Sinner and Alcaraz would have a 23-hour gap between the start of their final and their opening matches.
With recovery and travel to do in that time, it looks virtually impossible that Swiatek, Sinner, and Alcaraz will play the tournament.