WHAT HAPPENED: Reigning US Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, both from Italy, took on Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz in one of the first matches of the reimagined event. The Italian duo started their title defense with ease and style, taking the match 4-2, 4-2.
“I think I'm a bit of a mixed doubles specialist, I'm not going to lie,” said Fritz, the No. 4 singles seed and the top-ranked American man, earlier this summer. He also extolled his partnership with Rybakina, with whom he won an Indian Wells mixed doubles exhibition tournament in March. “We’re one of the teams to beat.”
But facing off against the more experienced mixed doubles team proved too much for Fritz and Rybakina, who is the No. 10 women’s singles seed. Errani and Vavassori took the first fast set, 4-2. (Along with the first-to four-game sets, this year’s format features no-ad scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set.)
The second set was tighter, with longer, trickier points. Still, dominance at the net and superior court coverage appeared to give the 2025 Roland Garros champions the edge and they pulled out the second and final set, 4-2, 4-2.
WHAT'S NEXT: Next up for the Italians is the winner of the match between the All-American team of Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka versus Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev.
