Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik Win US Open Mixed Doubles Title

Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday as a fun new pairing in a revamped mixed doubles draw. They walked out as US Open champions.

The Czech duo claimed their first Grand Slam title as a team with a 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 victory over Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italian Flavio Cobolli, a final that swung wildly before the younger pair’s power and nerve settled it in the match tiebreak.

Fast start, sudden shift

From the opening games, Mensik set the tone. The 20-year-old unloaded on serve, backing up Muchova’s variety with sheer force. The reward came quickly: on set point, Mensik cracked an ace past Bencic to close out the opener in under half an hour, a statement finish that underlined the Czechs’ early control.

Bencic, though, is far too seasoned to fade from a final that easily.

She stepped inside the baseline in the second set and went after the return. A drilled winner gave her the break for 3-1, and the pressure began to tilt. Cobolli settled on serve, Bencic dictated more of the rallies, and the Czech pair suddenly found themselves chasing.

The set ended on a touch of fortune and intent. Bencic’s forehand clipped the net cord and skipped past Muchova, levelling the match and dragging the contest into a deciding 10-point tiebreak.

Momentum had flipped. The title would come down to nerve.

Mensik’s serve, Muchova’s touch

Under the lights and the noise, the Czechs reset.

Mensik’s serve, so dominant early, returned with interest in the breaker. He backed it up with sharp hands at the net, cutting off angles and forcing rushed replies from Bencic and Cobolli. Point by point, the gap opened.

At 7-4, the pressure was squarely on the Swiss-Italian team. Mensik then stepped in and punched away a firm volley to stretch the lead to 8-4, a strike that felt like the decisive blow.

Muchova followed with her best delivery of the night, finding a big first serve to bring up championship points. It was the veteran’s calm, after a patchy second set, that steadied the finish line.

Mensik took it from there. Another ace, another roar, and he leapt in celebration as the match closed 10-6. The first trophy of the season’s final Grand Slam belonged to them.

A run built on resilience

Their title run had already flirted with the exit door. In the semifinals, Muchova and Mensik saved two match points against Russians Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, a narrow escape that kept their campaign alive and hardened their belief.

By the time they reached the final, they were no longer just a fun pairing in a new-format draw. They were a threat.

On court after the win, Muchova let some of that surprise show.

“I think in the end the matching outfits made the difference for us,” she said during the trophy ceremony, smiling as she looked across at her partner. She admitted she “wasn’t really expecting to be standing here tonight,” explaining that they had entered simply to “have fun and enjoy these mixed doubles,” only to find themselves lifting the trophy. “So we did something right,” she added, before turning to congratulate Bencic and Cobolli.

Then came the line that will echo around the Czech locker room this fortnight: “I think this is a really good start to the US Open for all of us.”

A format finds its moment

This was only the second year of the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles format, a 16-team draw launched to bring leading singles names into the fold and generate bigger crowds in the week before the singles main draw.

On Wednesday night, in front of a lively Arthur Ashe crowd, that idea felt fully realised. Star singles players, short-form pressure, and a final decided in a 10-point shootout.

For Muchova and Mensik, it’s more than a novelty title. It’s a Grand Slam trophy, a surge of confidence, and a statement at the very start of the New York fortnight.

If this is their “good start,” the rest of the tournament has just been put on notice.