Swiatek-Rudd knock out Draper-Pegula to make it to US Open mixed doubles final

On a rainy day at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the mixed doubles semifinals of the US Open gave the audience two intense and action-packed matches. The top-seeded pair of Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud locked horns with the No. 3 seeds Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper in a first-of-its-kind event. Ultimately, Swiatek and Ruud emerged victorious with a score of 3-5, 5-3, and a 10-8 tiebreak win, securing their spot in the final.

They will now be facing defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori in the final. The final will take place on the same day, with the players fighting for a prize pool of one million dollars on the line.

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The match started with Pegula and Draper winning the toss and choosing to receive. Swiatek and Ruud start strong, winning the first game after an unforced error by Draper, making the score 1-0. However, the third-seeded pair clapped back, winning the next game and equalising the score at 1-1. The third game was a close call and went to one deuce, but Pegula and Draper eventually took the point, putting them ahead in the match with a score of 2-1.

Swiatek and Ruud were full of resilience, fighting back to tie the score at 2-2 after a long rally. The set continued with both teams fighting hard, trading games, reaching a 3-3 tie. During a match point, Swiatek challenged a call because she thought the ball bounced twice, but the umpire ruled against her. Pegula and Draper jumped upon the opportunity, taking the game and moving ahead 4-3. The opening set finished after 37 minutes with Pegula and Draper winning 5-3.

However, a certain will-to-win was evident in Swiatek and Ruud, who came out strong in the second set, winning the first game to take a 1-0 lead. Pegula and Draper quickly responded, holding their serve to tie the score at 1-1. Draper was able to respond to Swiatek’s serves with a lot of aggression. And his team went ahead 2-1. However, Swiatek and Ruud fought back, forcing three unforced errors from their opponents and equalizing the score to 2-2. But Ruud’s serve was solid, taking his team to a 3-2 advantage.

The second set was filled with high-octane rallies and intense competition. At a crucial 40-all, Swiatek netted a forehand, giving Pegula and Draper the game. Despite the setback, Swiatek and Ruud were determined to win, eventually taking a 4-3 lead. They secured the set with a 5-3 win, leveling the match at one set apiece.

To get to the finals, they needed to play a tiebreaker. The first semifinal then went to a 10-point tiebreaker, which was something new to the tournament. The top seeds were down at 8-4 in the tiebreaker, after a double fault by Swiatek. They then raised their play to incredibly win six consecutive points for a 10-8 tiebreaker and match win.

After the match ended, Casper Ruud said, “I’m gonna eat a little bit. I’m a little hungry. It was a long match. It was longer than Iga’s normal singles matches.”

The match to make it to the finals

The semifinal match was the new mixed doubles format for the US Open, largely to attract top singles players. Errani and Vavassori already expressed their disdain for the new format and were granted a wild card before defeating Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison 4-2, 4-2 to advance to the final.

They are now seeking to be the first repeat champions of Flushing Meadows since Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray in 2018-19.

As Vavassori said, "Yeah. We are on a mission." The final will be a traditional set format, with sets to six games.