Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic won the mixed doubles title at the 2026 US Open, defeating Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night. The victory gave both players their first Grand Slam title in any category, while the winners received $1 million in prize money.
Muchova and Mensik made a b start to the final, winning the opening set 6-3. The Czech pair played aggressively from the baseline and also produced effective movement at the net.
Bencic and Cobolli responded in the second set, allowing Muchova and Mensik to win only one game. They took the set 6-1 to force a 10-point match tiebreak in place of a third set.
The deciding tiebreak remained closely contested. Muchova and Mensik held their composure in the decisive stages to win 10-6. On the final point, Mensik hit a 131-mile-per-hour ace to seal the title.
The Czech pair had also faced a difficult semifinal against Russia’s Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev. They saved two match points before reaching the final.
Andreeva and Rublev led 9-7 in the deciding match tiebreak and were one point from victory. Muchova and Mensik then won four consecutive points to take the match. They recorded a 5-4 (8-6), 3-5, 11-9 victory to reach the final.
The tournament marked Jakub Mensik’s first experience of mixed doubles. The 20-year-old had already reached the French Open singles semifinals in 2026.
Despite having no previous mixed doubles experience, Mensik’s serve was a key part of the Czech pair’s performance. His fast serving and aggressive play near the net contributed to their performance in the decisive stages of the final.
Muchova reached the Wimbledon women’s singles final only a few weeks before the US Open mixed doubles tournament, where she lost to fellow Czech Linda Noskova. She subsequently underwent a minor surgery and spent some time away from competitive tennis.
She returned at the US Open mixed doubles event and won the title with Mensik.
During the trophy ceremony, Muchova referred humorously to the pair’s matching outfit. Both players competed in light pink shirts and maroon bottoms, and Muchova said the matching clothing may have made a difference.
Bencic and Cobolli defeated Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils 10-5 in their semifinal to reach the final.
Svitolina and Monfils, who are married, were seeking to become the first married pair to win a Grand Slam mixed doubles title since 1939. Their semifinal defeat ended that opportunity. Monfils has also said that he plans to retire at the end of the season.
The US Open began giving greater prominence to mixed doubles from 2025 with a new format. In 2026, the event featured a 16-team main competition and an eight-team qualifying competition, with two teams advancing from qualifying to the main draw.
Matches from qualifying through the semifinals were played using shorter sets, while the final used regular six-game sets. A 10-point match tiebreak was used instead of a third set.
The format was designed to reduce match duration and make it easier for top singles players to participate in mixed doubles.
The 2026 US Open mixed doubles winners received $1 million, while the runners-up received $500,000.
The event also featured players including Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams. Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz lost to Bencic and Cobolli in the quarterfinals, while top seeds Sabalenka and Djokovic were eliminated in the early rounds.
The mixed doubles competition was scheduled ahead of the US Open singles main draw. The men’s and women’s singles main draws at the 2026 US Open are scheduled to begin on August 30.
The qualifying competition was held on August 24, followed by the first round and quarterfinals on August 25. The semifinals and final were held on the night of August 26.
The event was conducted over a short schedule, with the qualifying competition, knockout rounds and final completed within the tournament’s opening days.
Muchova and Mensik won their first Grand Slam title as a pair at the first Grand Slam tournament in which they played together. Their campaign included saving two match points in the semifinal and winning the deciding match tiebreak 10-6 in the final.
The mixed doubles title came before the start of their respective singles campaigns at the 2026 US Open.
