NEW YORK: Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud will play defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori on Wednesday night for the US Open mixed doubles title and $1 million.
Swiatek and Ruud, the No. 3 seeds, beat top-seeded Jessica Pegula 3-5, 5-3, 10-8 in a match tiebreaker in the first semifinal, in what was probably the best match of an event that was overhauled this year. They trailed 8-4 in the tiebreaker after Swiatek double-faulted, then ran off six straight points to advance.
Errani and Vavassori then beat Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison 4-2, 4-2.
After a short break, the finalists would be back on the court to wrap up an event that was completed over two days, well before singles play starts Sunday.
Both teams won two matches Tuesday to earn spots in the semifinals that were played under a closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium after rain fell much of the afternoon.
Errani and Vavassori weren’t even sure they would get to defend their titles after the US Tennis Association radically changed the mixed doubles tournament in an effort to draw top singles players. Eight teams in the 16-team field qualified by their players’ combined singles rankings, with the remaining teams given wild cards.
The Italians — were were among the biggest critics of the changed format — were given one and have a chance to be the first repeat champions in Flushing Meadows since Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray in 2018-19.
“I think we are on a mission,” Vavassori said.
The final will more closely resemble a traditional match, with sets to six games. They went to four games in the first three rounds, with a deciding point played at deuce instead of needing to get the next two points.
