The US Open’s highly controversial, but supremely intriguing mixed doubles format has been brought to an end.
And, rather ironically, it was the doubles specialists who came out on top in Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
The Italian pair were not only defending their title, but also the honour of an entire tennis discipline, the bulk of whom had felt massively wronged by the decision to corrupt their game.
Some of the sport’s very best doubles players were denied a spot, all in the name of marketing by forcing the big-name singles players into unlikely partnerships.
One such combination was Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula, who did blend into quite an impressive team at time despite the latter feeling compelled to apologise after their exit.
Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula react to losing in US Open mixed doubles
Having beaten the team of Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz in the very first round, before then brushing aside the Russian combination of Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev, their story was halted by Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.
It marked the end of an impressive run from this duo, especially given that the British number one had not played tennis since his unceremonious early exit at Wimbledon.
However, it was something that Draper had said the day before their semi-final match that compelled his American partner to apologise, as one reporter questioned: “
This was in response to Draper’s slip of the tongue, where he branded this new US Open mixed doubles format as an ‘exhibition’.
Pegula has since said: “I apologize. I felt like I kind of scolded him yesterday in press, so… I’m not going to say anything.”
Draper sympathised: “No, I mean, I think yesterday there was times where it felt a little bit more that way from our opponents, like a little bit more. It wasn’t whereas tonight we were in the changing rooms, you’re seeing Iga and Casper, they’re like fully dialed in. They’re fully dialled in.”
The American agreed, and the Brit continued: “So yeah, kind of thinking this definitely isn’t an exhibition.”
Both then agreed again on the intensity of it all, with Pegula then adding: “Yeah. I mean, you can’t go out there at 7:00 on Ashe knowing obviously you could play the final, and feel like you’re just out there.”
Draper then reiterated, in his final statement on the matter: “The people who come to watch the mixed event and fill up the crowd, they want to see really good tennis. Yeah, it ain’t an exhibition.”
Jack Draper seemed fit and raring to go for the US Open singles
Although Draper has assured everyone that he did not consider this event an exhibition, it certainly came at the perfect time for him to slowly creep his way back into action.
After all, as noted earlier, an injury picked up sometime around Wimbledon has forced him to miss every event since, including Washington, Toronto, and Cincinnati.
Prior to this mixed doubles tournament, he had no minutes in the tank, and fans had nothing to go off to decipher his fitness levels.
Fortunately, Draper has issued an injury update recently, and went on to prove his return to form in what was a really impressive display across the three matches he played.
He looked lively and determined, and showed no signs of fatigue.
This event, however serious it was taken, certainly came at the perfect time for Draper to shake off the cobwebs ahead of the main event.
