Serena Williams made a triumphant return to the US Open on Tuesday partnering with Carlos Alcaraz to beat Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3 4-1 in the opening round of the mixed doubles, while top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka crashed out.
The 23-times major winner had not competed at Arthur Ashe Stadium since her tearful farewell from the sport in 2022 and the crown jewel of American tennis erupted in deafening cheers as their queen took the court again.
The 44-year-old Williams had an easy rapport with Alcaraz, who is 21 years her junior, as the partners grinned and giggled their way into the quarter-finals, where they will meet Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli later on Tuesday.
"It's always such an amazing place to be here", said Williams. "I never expected to be back on this court".
Williams hit a backhand winner the first time she touched the ball, earning uproarious cheers from the packed house a little more than two months after she announced her stunning comeback.
After trading breaks, Williams blasted a 120 mph (193.1 kph) ace on the penultimate point in the seventh game, drawing audible gasps from the crowd. Alcaraz, who has not played since April due to injury, shook off the early rust to close out the set with a forehand winner.
They sprinted through the second set with ease, embracing after the win in their matching royal purple outfits.
"I'm playing next to the one and only Serena Williams", said the seven-times major winner Alcaraz. "Trying to do the things she told me to do".
The mixed doubles kicked off on Tuesday in the second year of its revamped format, which put singles stars in the spotlight in an effort to lure more fans in a standalone spot the week before the singles main draw.
The move proved a commercial success in its debut year, drawing sellout crowds and attracting many of the sport's biggest singles names despite criticism from some doubles specialists, who argued it marginalised established pairings.
Djokovic and Sabalenka were not so lucky against the experienced doubles players Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova, losing 1-4 4-2 10-2, as Siniakova sealed the upset in style with an ace out wide on match point.
"It wasn't looking very good for a while, in this format we play one bad game and all of a sudden the first set's gone", Patten said. "We knew the same could happen in the second, and we played an amazing tiebreak".
Last year's champions, Italian duo Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, lost to Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev 1-4 4-1 11-9. They will play the winner of a match between Casper Ruud and Diana Shnaider and Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz.
On the other side of the draw, married pair Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina booked their place in the semi-finals, as did Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik.
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