USO pads overweight schedule with mixed doubles shakeup

After extending this summer’ s event to 15 days, the US Open has moved to take a tighter grip on box office takings by announcing a sweeping reform of mixed doubles at the tournament.

The “orphan” event of the four majors will be given a spotlight of sorts – but all matches will be held the week before the actual event at Flushing Meadows, turning the major into a marathon slog for some players.

Open officials don’t see it that way, with Tuesday’s PR release trumpeting the benefits of competing for what organisers tout as a USD 1 million prize for the winning team.

But the trade off comes in scheduling, with the event done and dusted before main draw play even begins.

The trend is the latest breakthrough in over-reach as the Grand Slams scramble for the fan dollar, with qualifying weeks now considered a part of the event. 

It follows on from the controversial ATP re-make of the Masters 1000 schedule, with summer events like Canada and Cincinnati overlapping each other and attempting to stage oddball mid-week finals for a sport accustomed to settling affairs on a Sunday.

All Masters events save the hybrid Monte Carlo week will now stretch to nearly two weeks, a move which has top players reconsidering their playing schedules.

USO officials patted themselves on the back in a release for their “innovation,” inspired by convincing broadcaster ESPN to at least stage the semis and finals on a main cable channel.

“We’ll be scheduling mixed doubles on the center stage and enabling more fans worldwide to enjoy the thrill of watching their favorite stars compete for this coveted Grand Slam Championship title,” said USO boss Lew Sherr.

“One of the primary reasons the US Open is among the premier sports events in the world is because it features the best athletes, both male and female, competing on an equal stage.”

The event will be played in a dumbed-down form, with a 16-team draw including half of the field made up of wild card entries.

Play will be best-of-three-set matches with short sets to four games, no-ad scoring, tiebreakers at four-all and a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set.

The final will be a best-of-three set match to six games, featuring no-ad scoring, with tiebreakers at six-all and a 10-point match tiebreaker in lieu of a third set.

Main photo:- Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori celebrate winning 2024 US Open Mixed doubles title by ATP Tour.com