Carlos Alcaraz, left, will partner Serena Williams at Flushing Meadows (John Walton/Andrew Matthews/PA)Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz make their return to tennis in an all-star pairing at the US Open mixed doubles tournament.23-time grand slam champion Williams is competing in New York four years after the final competitive singles match of her career - or at least, the first phase of her career - before she began “evolving away” from the sport.But the 44-year-old is back in action alongside Spaniard Alcaraz, who has not played in four months due to a troublesome wrist injury, but makes his return to grand slam action in order to defend his singles title at Flushing Meadows.Elsewhere in the high-profile but controversial mixed doubles event, which is in its second year after a major revamp, world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic are the top seeds, with the all-American pairing of Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz the second seeds.Follow all the action with our liveblog below:Sabalenka/Djokovic v Siniakova/PattenUp first, top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic take on who really should be the top seeds: doubles world No 1s Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten, who have had to go through qualifying to be here, in one of the more baffling developments of this tournament.Djokovic is introduced as “the greatest of all time” as the pairings take to the court, all smiles. Flo Clifford25 August 2026 16:05What is the format? For every match up to the final, matches will be best-of-3 sets, with sets to four games and a 10-point tie-break instead of a third set. For the final, it will be a traditional set to six games and a 10-point tie-break instead of a third set. All matches will have sudden death deuce. (Getty)Flo Clifford25 August 2026 15:58What is the draw? Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic (1) vs Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe (Arthur Ashe) Elina Svitolina vs Gael Monfils vs Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime (Louis Armstrong) Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli (4) vs Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev (Arthur Ashe) Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz vs Qualifer/Qualifier (Arthur Ashe) Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik vs Qualifier/Qualifier (Louis Armstrong) Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul vs Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien (3) (Louis Armstrong) Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev vs Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori (Louis Armstrong) Diana Shnaider and Casper Ruud vs Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz (2) (Louis Armstrong) (Reuters)Flo Clifford25 August 2026 15:53When is it? The main draw starts on Tuesday 25 August with the first round and quarter-finals. Play starts at 4pm BST (11am local) on Arthur Ashe Stadium and 3pm BST (10am local) on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The semi-finals and final will headline a special night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday 26 August, starting at midnight BST (7pm local). Flo Clifford25 August 2026 15:47The high-profile mixed doubles event at the US Open begins on Tuesday with several star pairings set to take to the courts at Flushing Meadows. World No 1 women’s player Aryna Sabalenka and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic are the top seeds, with the all-American pairing of Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz the second seeds. There is also a qualifying event, made up predominantly of specialist doubles players, before the main draw starts on Tuesday. The defending champions are the Italian doubles pairing of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Flo Clifford25 August 2026 15:41Good afternoonHello and welcome back to grand slam action! The US Open kicks off with its glitzy mixed doubles tournament, now in its second year, before the singles main draws begin on Sunday 30 August.We’ll have all the action and latest updates here.(Reuters)Flo Clifford25 August 2026 15:37