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Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz handed tough US Open mixed doubles draw as Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic face top-ranked opponents React to this story Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will open their US Open mixed doubles tournament against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool on Tuesday. It’s a tough draw for the superstar pairing, who have a combined 44 singles and doubles Grand Slams, with Routliffe the reigning women’s doubles champion. Alongside her women’s doubles partner Gabriela Dabrowski, Routliffe has won the US Open women’s doubles titles twice, in 2023 and 2025. Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, is set to feature in her first US Open match since 2022, having only made her tennis comeback in June, four years after ”evolving away” from the sport. Meanwhile, Alcaraz is making his US Open return after missing four months with a wrist injury. In January, the 23-year-old triumphed at the Australian Open, becoming the youngest man to win all four Grand Slam titles. However, the Spaniard has not played a competitive match since April 14 after injuring his right wrist at the Barcelona Open. Elsewhere, top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic have been drawn against Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten, the No. 1-ranked doubles players on their respective tours. "I hope everyone's going to be healthy this time," Sabalenka told reporters at a press conference. "And I'm pretty excited. I think it's going be fun. "And playing with Novak is always fun. And mixed doubles, I played it once in my life. I mean, at the Grand Slams. And we are going full. "You know, we're chasing the only title. That's our goal, I believe. So it's going to be fun and intense, I believe." - 'Painful to walk' - Rybakina leaves opponent Swiatek 'scared' after Cincinnati Open retirement - 'I feel I am imprisoning myself' - Djokovic on toll of chasing greatness Elsewhere, Elina Svitolina has paired up with husband Gael Monfils in the latter's final Grand Slam before retirement aged 39. They will face Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, with the winner setting up another heavyweight clash against either Sabalenka and Djokovic or Siniakova and Patten. The competition is scheduled from August 24 to 26, finishing four days before the start of the singles draw. Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this. Watch and stream top tennis action - including the 2027 Australian Open and 2027 French Open - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.