Just In: US Open row erupts as tournament accused of ‘unfair’ treatment – ‘they just want more money’
Alize Cornet has lashed out at the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles tournament, which returned for the second year running. Last year, US Open organisers decided to move the mixed doubles tournament to ‘Fan Week’ – the week before the rest of the main draws get underway. Only 16 teams make it in, with entries based on singles rankings.
Most are wildcards, and this year, the US Open added a one-day qualifying competition, which allowed doubles players to enter using their rankings. But former world No. 11 Alize Cornet believes the whole tournament is “unfair” on doubles specialists, and is simply a “strategy to make money.
The French star tore into the new format on RMC’s Les Grandes Gueules du Sport, and likened the mixed doubles competition to a friendly. “Why not organise an exhibition?” Cornet asked.
“This is their livelihood throughout the year, and they work very hard for it. This is unfair. The problem is not new. Laura Siegemund, the tournament champion in 2016, had already denounced last year that the tournament was turning a serious competition into a ‘show event’.”
This year’s tournament featured blockbuster pairings like Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz, and Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic. There is £734k ($1m) up for grabs for the winning team. But Cornet believes the official mixed doubles event doesn’t need to be a big show.
She added: “We mustn’t mix everything together. It is really just a strategy to make money. It is no longer the US Open mixed doubles. It doesn’t look anything like what it used to be.
The main draw got underway on Tuesday, and the tournament will conclude on Wednesday with the semi-finals and final. Sabalenka and Djokovic were knocked out by doubles world No. 1s Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten, but they then lost to married couple and singles specialists Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.
Williams and Alcaraz beat doubles specialists Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool before losing to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, who now face Svitolina and Monfils in the semis.
Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik will meet Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev in the second semi. Andreeva and Rublev knocked out two-time defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
