Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani, the defending mixed doubles champions at the US Open got off to a flying start in this year’s edition of the event. The Italian duo swatted aside the team of singles stars Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz 4-2, 4-2 in just 42 minutes.
Following the victory, Vavassori, 30, issued a strongly worded message taking a swipe at the tournament’s decision to prioritize big-name singles stars over doubles specialists at the gala event.
What Andrea Vavassori Said After Emphatic Win Over Team-up of Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina
“We are playing for all the doubles players that could not compete here,” Vavassori said after their emphatic win over the singles duo. “We try to do our best.”
The US Open has completely revamped its mixed doubles draw to feature 16 teams. Eight teams received direct entry based on combined singles rankings, while eight others got wildcards.
Andrea Vavassori after he & Sara Errani beat Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz at U.S. Open:
“We are playing for all the doubles players that could not compete here. We try to do our best.” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/5NQ1D4eX48
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 19, 2025
This dramatic shift has drawn heavy criticism, particularly from doubles specialists. At the same time, big singles stars like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, and others have confirmed their participation at the event.
The US Open, on the other hand, has emphasized the tournament’s goal to attract top singles players by offering a $1 million prize purse. The entire event, which is being held ahead of other events at the tournaments, is being conducted on show courts to attract more visibility.
Vavassori and Errani’s Earlier Comments on the US Open Mixed Doubles Format
Following the announcement of the new format, the duo asserted that making decisions solely based on profit motives was “profoundly wrong” in certain contexts.
“In our opinion, making decisions just following the logic of profit is profoundly wrong in some situations,” Errani and Vavassori wrote in a joint statement.
They claimed that the changes made without any consultation, leaving them with no choice but to accept the outcome, stating:
“We received the news that US Open mixed doubles tournament will be completely turned upside down, cancelled and replaced with a pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show. A decision made without consulting anyone, which we can do nothing but accept it.”
Errani and Vavassori characterized the new changes as “unjust” and “disrespectful” to “an entire category of players.”
“We see it as a profound injustice, that disrespect an entire category of players. Putting money above tennis is never a good idea. We don’t know at the moment if we’ll have the chance to defend our title, but we hope this will remain an isolated case and this type of policy will not be considered again in the future.”
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After beating Fritz and Rybakina, Errani and Vavassori defeated Andrey Rublev and Karolína Muchová to book their place in the semifinals of the mixed doubles event at the US Open.
