Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik Claim US Open Mixed Doubles Title
Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday as a fun new pairing. They walked out as US Open mixed doubles champions.
The Czech duo overpowered Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, 10-6, claiming their first Grand Slam title as a team and lighting up the tournament’s revamped mixed event with a sharp blend of power, touch and nerve.
Czechs strike first
From the opening games, Mensik set the tone. The 20-year-old uncorked heavy first serves that pinned Bencic and Cobolli back, and the Czechs raced through the first set in under half an hour. On set point, Mensik blasted an ace past Bencic, a clean, emphatic finish that underlined their early control.
Muchova, with her variety and court sense, knitted the points together while Mensik did the damage from the line. The pairing looked loose, aggressive, and entirely at home on Ashe.
Bencic hits back
The match flipped quickly.
Bencic, one of the most seasoned competitors in the draw, seized the initiative in the second set. She drilled a fierce return winner to break for 3-1, and her intensity dragged Cobolli into the contest. The Italian began to find his range, and the European pair started to dictate the rallies.
The pressure mounted on the Czechs. At 5-1, Bencic found a touch of fortune but earned it with aggression: her forehand clipped the net cord and skipped beyond Muchova, sealing the set and dragging the final into a deciding match tiebreak.
Momentum, for the first time all evening, sat firmly in Swiss-Italian hands.
Mensik takes over the tiebreak
The decider became a test of nerve and first-strike tennis.
Mensik answered first. His serve reappeared as the dominant shot on court, and his quick hands at the net smothered Bencic and Cobolli’s attempts to counter. The Czechs surged ahead, using short, sharp points to wrestle back control.
At 7-4, the tension inside Ashe tightened. Mensik stepped forward again, punching away a firm volley to push the lead to 8-4. That single strike felt like a breakthrough, the moment the final tilted decisively back their way.
Muchova then delivered her best serve of the night, a clutch delivery that set up championship points. The roles were clear: she steadied the ship, he closed the door.
Mensik did exactly that. Another booming ace, another clean finish. He leapt in celebration as the ball thudded into the back fence, the pair sealing the first trophy of the season’s final Grand Slam.
A run built on resilience
Their title was not built on one good day.
In the semifinals, Muchova and Mensik had stared down two match points against Russians Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev. They escaped, regrouped, and used that escape as a springboard into the final. By the time they stepped onto Ashe, they were battle-tested.
The victory also gave a jolt of energy to a mixed doubles event the US Open has been determined to reimagine. The 16-team draw, now in its second year in this new format, has been designed to attract leading singles players and bigger crowds in the week before the main singles draw begins. A final featuring Bencic, Muchova, Rublev and rising names like Mensik and Andreeva fits that brief perfectly.
On court, Muchova allowed herself a smile as she reflected on an unexpected week, joking that the matching outfits might have made the difference. She admitted she had not expected to be standing there with the trophy, saying they came out simply to enjoy the mixed doubles and ended up finding something much more.
For Muchova and Mensik, it is more than a novelty title. It is a Grand Slam crown on Arthur Ashe, a surge of confidence at the start of the US Open fortnight, and a reminder that in New York, partnerships can catch fire in a hurry.
