Pegula and Draper defeated Raducanu and Alcaraz 4-2, 4-2, then beat Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev 4-1, 4-1 to reach the semi-finals. They will play Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison for a place in the final. The draw included multiple improvised pairings; Draper and Raducanu, long-time acquaintances from British junior ranks, were unexpectedly drawn against one another. Raducanu’s limited doubles experience showed as she struggled at the net and sprayed a backhand volley wide. Draper adopted aggressive net play, using heavy topspin forehands to exploit Raducanu’s vulnerability.
After many long months of discussion and anticipation, the doubles partnership between Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz came and went in the blink of an eye in a wellpopulated Arthur Ashe Stadium. Despite ample smiles and enjoyment on the court, they were outclassed in a battle of British No 1s by a sharp Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, the top seeds, who reached the quarter-finals of the revamped mixeddoubles competition with a 4-2, 4-2 win.
In a draw filled with surreal scratch partnerships, the first bracket was particularly striking. Draper and Raducanu have known each other since their childhood days when they were rising up the national rankings in Great Britain while dreaming of becoming professional players. When in February the US Open announced its reimagined mixeddoubles competition, the two British players pairing up seemed like a logical option. Instead, they found themselves facing each other inside the biggest tennis stadium in the world.
Raducanu had played just three doubles tournaments in her entire career before this week and the match started with a reminder of her inexperience as she sprayed a backhand drive volley far wide. That first point set the tone for a difficult day as she was continually vulnerable at the net. Draper and Alcaraz have not spent much more time on the doubles court, either, but it was Draper who tackled the contest with total aggression.
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