Elena Rybakina has revealed that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are her dream US Open opponents ahead of the blockbuster mixed doubles event at Flushing Meadows this summer.
Grand Slam champions Rybakina, Alcaraz, and Sinner have all signed up for the revamped mixed doubles event at the final Grand Slam of the year.
Instead of a traditional mixed doubles event taking place during the main tournament, action will be held in the fan week prior to the men’s and women’s singles events.
Action will be spread across August 19-20, with eight pairs qualifying by ranking and a further eight wildcard pairs set to be entered.
The move was designed to encourage more big-name singles players to enter the tournament – a decision that has certainly paid off.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz will pair up with Emma Raducanu in one of the marquee pairings, while four-time major champion and ATP world No 1 Sinner pairs up with home favourite Emma Navarro.
Former Wimbledon champion and current world No 12 Rybakina is set to participate with US No 1 and world No 4 Taylor Fritz, the men’s singles runner-up at the US Open back in 2024.
The pair previously paired up together to win the Eisenhower Cup, an exhibition event held before main-draw action at Indian Wells this year.
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Rybakina is set to partner one of the biggest names in the men’s game, though there are perhaps no bigger names on the ATP right now than Alcaraz and Sinner.
And, asked this week at the Citi DC Open who she would like to take on in the event, the current ATP world No 1 and No 2 were at the very top of her list.
“I mean… depends,” joked Rybakina in her post-match press conference.
“I think Sinner, Alcaraz definitely. To see how they hit and feel how the ball is coming. But it’s not easy with each player there.”
Plenty of big stars have registered their interest in the event, though, as things stand, only 16 of the 24 registered teams will be able to take part.
Among the notable names attempting to play outside of Alcaraz and Raducanu, Sinner and Navarro, and Rybakina and Fritz, is Novak Djokovic.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is looking to team up with compatriot Olga Danilovic, while six-time major winner and reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek has registered her interest with Casper Ruud.
Potential all-American pairings include Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe, Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul, Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton, and Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka.
However, some teams have already dropped out of the event.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have pulled out of the mixed doubles event after ending their two-year romantic relationship, while Zheng Qinwen has pulled out of a potential partnership with Jack Draper.
The Chinese star has withdrawn from the US Open due to recent elbow surgery, while Hubert Hurkacz’s potential partnership with Donna Vekic is no more after he also withdrew from the tournament.
Read Next: US Open mixed doubles suffers big-name withdrawals. Could Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner follow suit?
