Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Serena Williams’ highly anticipated return to Arthur Ashe Stadium ended in the US Open mixed doubles quarterfinals as she and Carlos Alcaraz were beaten 5-4(4), 4-1 by Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic.
The star pairing got off to a flying start to their comeback campaign earlier in the day, defeating Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 in the opening round. But their run ended against the confident Cobolli and Bencic, who lifted their level at the key moments to set up a semifinal clash against married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.
Williams and Alcaraz made a series of early errors in the quarterfinal, giving Cobolli and Bencic the advantage.
Cobolli kept his nerve in the tie-break and wrapped up the opening set with an ace. The Swiss-Italian duo were even more clinical in the second set, not making any unforced errors as they romped to victory and ended the much-anticipated run of the American-Spanish combination.
“I don’t know how I landed on this court – to play Carlos and Serena is a great honour,” said Bencic.
For Williams, the defeat came after an emotional return to the US Open venue where she had last competed during her tearful farewell to professional tennis in 2022.
The 44-year-old was greeted by deafening cheers from the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, with fans celebrating her first appearance at the tournament in three years.
