  US OPEN .New York. By Leo Canaparo
Photo Courtesy USTA
Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova captured the US Open mixed doubles title in thrilling fashion, surviving two dramatic matches on Wednesday to give the Czech Republic a memorable championship in New York.
With both the semifinals and the final scheduled on the same day, the Czech pair had to dig deep on their way to the trophy. Their decisive victory came against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, whom they defeated 3-6, 6-1, 10-6 in one hour and 13 minutes.
After dropping the opening set, Muchova and Mensik responded with an impressive turnaround. The Czechs dominated the second set before holding their nerve in the decisive match tie-break to complete the comeback.
The championship was sealed in spectacular fashion by Mensik, the World No. 18 in the PIF ATP Rankings. His seventh ace of the final proved to be the last shot of the tournament for the Czech duo.
The statistics reflected just how closely contested the match was. Muchova and Mensik won only five more points than Bencic and Cobolli, 57-52, but they produced their best tennis when it mattered most.
Their path to the title had already featured plenty of drama in the semifinals. Muchova and Mensik were pushed to the limit by Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, saving two match points in the deciding super tie-break before escaping with a remarkable 5-4(6), 3-5, 11-9 victory.
On the other side of the draw, Bencic and Cobolli also had to battle back from adversity. The Swiss-Italian partnership recovered to defeat Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and France’s Gael Monfils 4-5(7), 4-1, 10-5, earning their place in the championship match.
Both finalist teams had already secured at least $500,000 in prize money, while the winners went on to claim the US Open trophy and the tournament’s top prize of $1 million.
The final was played under a different format from the earlier rounds, returning to traditional six-game sets instead of the four-game format used during the first round, quarterfinals and semifinals. Nevertheless, the championship was ultimately decided in another super tie-break, with the Czech team successfully stopping the comeback attempt of the fourth-seeded pair.
Muchova and Mensik have now written their names into US Open history with a title built on resilience, composure and their ability to deliver under the most intense pressure.
With the mixed doubles competition now complete, attention at Flushing Meadows turns fully toward the singles events. The singles draws are scheduled to be revealed on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. local time, setting the stage for the next chapter of the final Grand Slam tournament of the season.