Czech duo captures U.S. Open mixed-doubles championship

Czech players Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik claimed their first Grand Slam championships on Wednesday, outlasting Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 (6) to win the U.S. Open mixed-doubles championship in New York.

Neither of the winners regularly play doubles on tour. Muchova has a 1-2 women's doubles record this year and is ranked 166th among WTA doubles players. Mensik has a 1-1 men's doubles mark in 2026 and is rated 579th among ATP doubles players.

Muchova, 30, reached her second major singles final this year before losing at Wimbledon to another Czech player, Linda Noskova. Muchova dropped the 2023 French Open final to Poland's Iga Swiatek. Her most notable doubles result before this week was a loss in the 2024 Olympic bronze-medal match in women's doubles.

Mensik, 20, was competing in a grand slam final for the first time in any competition.

Bencic, a 29-year-old Swiss player, and Cobolli, a 24-year-old Italian, also have yet to win any major title.

The Czech pair finished with a 7-1 edge in aces and was exceptional when putting first serves in play, winning 25 of 31 points (80.6%).

In the semifinals earlier on Wednesday, Muchova and Mensik edged the Russian pair of Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev 5-4 (6), 3-5, 1-0 (9), while Bencic and Cobolli rallied past France's Gael Monfils and Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 4-5 (7), 4-1, 1-0 (5).

U.S. Open singles action begins on Sunday.

--Field Level Media