Three American tennis stars are putting in the work at Flushing Meadows, and what they’re preparing for could shake up the entire 2025 US Open. Ben Shelton, Jessica Pegula, and Frances Tiafoe have been spotted training intensively ahead of their mixed doubles campaigns, but this isn’t just any ordinary tournament format.
How Will the New Mixed Doubles Format Change the US Open Experience?
The 2025 US Open mixed doubles event will feature a completely new format and take place during US Open Fan Week. Matches are scheduled for August 19-20, 2025, at Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, giving fans an up-close look at some of tennis’s biggest names in a fresh competitive setting.
Shelton has teamed up with compatriot Taylor Townsend for the mixed doubles event and received a Wild Card entry into the main draw. In the first round, they will face the fourth-seeded pair of Holger Rune and Amanda Anisimova. The winning team will advance to the quarterfinals to meet either the Wild Card duo of Kateřina Siniaková and Jannik Sinner or the pair of Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic.
Recently, Shelton was seen practicing on the courts at Flushing Meadows before his first match at the Grand Slam.
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Meanwhile, Pegula was seen having a practice session with Elina Svitolina at the US Open. The American has partnered with Jack Draper for mixed doubles, and they will go up against the Wild Card duo of Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu in their opening match. The winners will then face either the Wild Card pair of Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilović or the Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva team in the quarterfinals.
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Like his compatriots Shelton and Pegula, Tiafoe also practiced in New York before playing his first match with Madison Keys in the mixed doubles event.
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They will compete against the third-seeded team of Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud in the first round. The winners will then face either the Wild Card duo of Naomi Osaka and Gaël Monfils or the Wild Card pair of Lorenzo Musetti and Caty McNally.
How Did the Cincinnati Open Shape These Players’ US Open Preparation?
Leading up to the 2025 US Open, Shelton, Pegula, and Tiafoe all competed at the Cincinnati Open. They were seeded and began their campaigns in the second round after receiving first-round byes, giving them valuable hard-court preparation before the year’s final Grand Slam.
At the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Ohio, Pegula defeated Kimberly Birrell in her opening match before falling to Magda Linette in the third round.
Meanwhile, Shelton put together a strong run on the men’s side of the draw. He triumphed over Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Jiří Lehečka before losing to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.
Tiafoe’s tournament took a different path: he eliminated Roberto Carballés Baena and Ugo Humbert in the second and third rounds, respectively. However, in his fourth-round match against Holger Rune, he retired during the second set due to a lower back injury.
