In a draw filled with many of the best singles tennis players in the world, the Italians made a decisive case for the importance of teamwork in this discipline
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cross two frantic days in New York, Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani repeatedly made their intentions clear. As the only doubles specialist team in a tournament that had banished the rest of their kind, they were on a mission to prove their worth by succeeding on the court.
Shortly before midnight on an Arthur Ashe Stadium still filled with raucous spectators, the mission was complete. They triumphed in spectacular fashion at the reimagined US Open mixed doubles championship by closing out the star singles pairing of Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, the third seeds, 6-3, 5-7 (10-6) in a supreme, intense tussle to defend their title.
Ever since the US Open announced its transformed mixed doubles tournament six months ago, which has been moved forward to the US Open’s qualifying week and rebranded as a shortened format with an entry criteria that overwhelmingly favours singles players, Vavassori and Errani have been two of its biggest critics.
