The entry list for the US Open‘s mixed-doubles event has been updated, and several new pairs have joined the competition. Initially, 16 pairs had signed up for the event, and now 13 more teams have been added to the fray, taking the total to 29 pairs. Out of the 13 pairs, there are a few that have grabbed the attention of the fans.

One of them is the pairing between Venus Williams and Alexander Bublik. Both players have been very active in doubles this season, with Venus participating in nine draws and Bublik playing in eight. These are the type of pairs that help increase the popularity of the draw and the tournament as a whole. Another pair that has sparked attention has been formed between the newly married couple of Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter.

The two had tied the knot on July 12 in the British player’s hometown of Leicestershire. Both de Minaur and Boulter had returned to the Tour with the Citi Open. While the Australian opted not to play doubles in Washington, his wife made the opposite choice and played two draws in the tournament. She formed a pair alongside Polina Latcenko, but the duo lost 6-1, 6-0 to Sara Errani and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the first round.

Interestingly, this won’t be the first time that de Minaur and Boulter will be teaming up in a mixed doubles event. They had previously played together at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where they had reached the second round after recording a 6-2, 6-4 win over Storm Hunter and John Peers.

But they weren’t able to go far as Joran Vliegen and Xu Yifan defeated them 6-3, 4-6, 7-6. De Minaur and Boulter had also played together at the Indian Wells exhibition event last year, where they had been defeated by Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro.

Another married couple that has also joined the fray is Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina. The two have been married for five years now and also have a three-year-old daughter named Skai. This will be the first competitive event where the two will be teaming up. They have only played together in exhibition and charity events before.

Other notable pairs that have been added to the US Open’s mixed doubles event are Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, and Anna Kalinskaya and Lorenzo Musetti. These additions have also increased the stakes of the event.

It is scheduled to take place during the Fan Week from August 24 to 26. It will be played under the new format, which was introduced last year and includes four-game sets, no-ad scoring, and a 10-point tiebreak instead of a deciding set. Notably, the initial entry list of the event had been announced on July 27, and several pairings had made headlines as fans weren’t expecting these players to team up at all.

Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka to pair at US Open’s mixed-doubles event

Shockwaves were sent throughout the tennis community when it was revealed that Djokovic and Sabalenka will be forming a mixed doubles pair at the upcoming US Open. Though the two are known to be friends off the court, barely anyone was expecting them to team up at Flushing Meadows.

Sabalenka had previously teased the pairing earlier in January, when she had said that she was still waiting for Djokovic to call her “dream partner.” While the partnership between the two will excite any tennis fan, they are far from the only marquee pairing present in the competition.

The initial entry list also included pairs like Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, and Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori.

Additionally, defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori will also be participating in the event. The duo had captured the title last year even though they had entered the draw through a wildcard.

On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Serena Williams are some of the prominent players who are absent from the event. It remains to be seen if any of them will sign up for the men’s or women’s doubles draws that will begin later in the month.