The Williams-Alcaraz duo departs Flushing Meadows for tennis

The dream duo of American Serena Williams and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz made a strong start, but their journey ended at the quarterfinal stage of the mixed doubles competition at the US Open yesterday, after being preceded by the Serbian Novak Djokovic and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who had been eliminated in the first round.

Williams, widely regarded as the greatest female tennis player in history, and Alcaraz, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, were defeated by Swiss player Belinda Bencic and Italian Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals, 5-7, 4-6. With this result, Cobolli and Bencic advanced to the final stage of the unconventional format, where the semifinals and final will be held consecutively.

Bencic said after the match, “We definitely felt their aura, and it was an honor to play against them.” Cobolli added, “Facing Serena and Carlos on Arthur Ashe Court is not easy, so perhaps we’ll enjoy a drink now.”

Williams and Alcaraz had previously delivered a strong performance, having defeated the British-New Zealand duo of Lloyd Glasspool and Emma Raducanu. However, Cobolli, who is enjoying an exceptional season in singles after reaching the final at the French Open, and Bencic, an Olympic gold medalist who had previously defeated Williams in singles, were better prepared than their opponents.