Kateřina Siniaková has successfully booked her place in the main draw of the 2026 US Open mixed doubles event. The Czech star is playing alongside fellow doubles World No. 1 Henry Patten at the tournament. They face Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic in the first round on August 25.
Siniaková and Patten, the top seeds in qualifying, defeated Valentin Vacherot and Tatiana Maria before securing their spot in the final 16 with an identical 4-1, 4-2 victory over American duo Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison.
During their on-court interview, Siniaková took a pointed swipe at the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles format, which has drawn widespread criticism from doubles players.
Kateřina Siniaková and Henry Patten Draw Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open
In 2025, the US Open introduced a revamped mixed doubles format, moving the event from the tournament’s final week to Fan Week, ahead of the singles main draw. The move was aimed at attracting top singles players, who often skip mixed doubles due to their singles commitments.
The tournament also announced a significant increase in prize money, with the winning team taking home $1 million. However, the revamped format came at the expense of doubles specialists, who were largely excluded as entries were primarily determined by singles rankings.
The 2025 edition featured several of the sport’s biggest stars, including Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, Iga Świątek, Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, and Elena Rybakina. Doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, meanwhile, received direct entry as the defending champions. Incidentally, the Italian duo went on to successfully defend their title, defeating a field packed with top singles players.
Meanwhile, Kateřina Siniaková, who was initially left out of the 2025 draw, was handed a late lifeline when she teamed up with Jannik Sinner after his original partner, Emma Navarro, withdrew from the tournament. However, Sinner subsequently pulled out after falling ill during his Cincinnati Open campaign. With no option to find a replacement partner, the withdrawal also forced doubles world No. 1 Siniaková out of the tournament.
When she successfully qualified for the 2026 main draw, she was asked by the interviewer, “How do you stay motivated when you’ve done it all?”
Siniaková, who would have ideally been the top seed alongside Patten, did not hold back in her response, taking a dig at the US Open and drawing gasps from the crowd. “I mean, it seems I need to do more and more because I’m still playing qualies, so.”
The Czech star boasts an impressive 38 women’s doubles titles and one Grand Slam mixed doubles crown. She has also completed the women’s doubles career Grand Slam, winning three titles in Melbourne, four in Paris, three at Wimbledon, and one in New York.
Siniaková also has two Olympic gold medals to her name, winning women’s doubles gold alongside Barbora Krejčíková at the 2020 Tokyo Games before partnering her former boyfriend Tomáš Macháč to win mixed doubles gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Her success, however, extends beyond doubles. Currently ranked No. 39 in singles, Siniaková has won five WTA singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of No. 27. She and Patten will look to showcase their pedigree when they begin their US Open campaign against top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday.
