Serena Williams’ return to the U.S. Open after a four-year absence and Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback to competitive tennis after a four-month injury layoff brought cheers, excitement and a wave of nostalgia to Flushing Meadows.
The celebration, however, was short-lived.
Williams and Alcaraz were eliminated from the mixed doubles quarterfinals Tuesday, losing to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 5-4 (4), 4-1.
Cobolli had dubbed their opponents before the match “the queen of tennis and the king of now,” a fitting description for a star-studded pairing with eight U.S. Open singles titles between them.
Williams and Alcaraz had thrilled the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd in their opening match, overcoming a slow start to beat Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1. The fans were firmly behind the high-profile duo throughout the contest.
