NEW YORK — Venus Williams is set to make waves at the upcoming U.S. Open, as she joins forces with Reilly Opelka in the newly revamped mixed doubles tournament, thanks to a wild-card entry.
The 45-year-old tennis icon, who made her triumphant return to the court last week after a lengthy hiatus of over a year, and Opelka are among the 14 dynamic teams revealed by the U.S. Tennis Association for the mixed doubles showdown scheduled for August 19-20.
Out of the contenders, eight teams secured their spot with direct entries based on their combined singles rankings, while six other teams were granted wild cards by the USTA.
This elite bracket features nine players with at least one Grand Slam singles title under their belts, alongside 14 competitors who currently rank within the top 10 of either the WTA or ATP singles standings.
The eight teams that earned direct entry include: No. 11 Emma Navarro teaming up with No. 1 Jannik Sinner; No. 10 Paula Badosa alongside No. 5 Jack Draper; No. 3 Iga Swiatek partnered with No. 13 Casper Ruud; No. 12 Elena Rybakina joining forces with No. 4 Taylor Fritz; No. 7 Amanda Anisimova with No. 9 Holger Rune; Belinda Bencic teaming up with No. 3 Alexander Zverev; No. 4 Jessica Pegula and No. 15 Tommy Paul; as well as No. 5 Mirra Andreeva pairing with No. 14 Daniil Medvedev.
Badosa initially aimed to partner with Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Draper had his sights set on competing with Zheng Qinwen.
Along with Williams and Opelka, the wild-card entries include Emma Raducanu and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz; No. 8 Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe; Olga Danilovic with No. 6 Novak Djokovic; Taylor Townsend paired with No. 7 Ben Shelton; and the reigning U.S. Open mixed doubles champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
A total of 16 teams will vie for the impressive $1 million grand prize; the final two wild-card pairs will be announced at a later date.
There is still a chance that Williams will request, and potentially receive, a wild-card for the singles tournament. The USTA is expected to reveal those details during the week of August 11.
Last week at the D.C. Open in Washington, she secured one victory each in singles and doubles, marking her return to competition since the Miami Open in March 2024.
Williams boasts an impressive record: seven Grand Slam singles titles, 14 in women’s doubles—all secured alongside her sister Serena—and two in mixed doubles.
