When the US Open draw for the mixed doubles event was announced, there stood one odd pair among the rest of the 15 pairings. It was the Italian team of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, the defending mixed doubles champions at the US Open. It was the only traditional doubles pairing, taking on the other singles stars in the controversial new mixed doubles format at the year-ending Grand Slam tournament. The Italian pair vowed to make it count, and they didn’t disappoint, putting on a confident show against the second seeds, Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina. Their performance even received the attention of Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert.
Earlier today, Vavassori and Errani took no time in dispatching the challenge of Fritz and Rybakina in straight sets 4-2, 4-2. They were dominant right from the word go and completed the match really quickly to progress through. Subsequently, Gilbert took to his official X handle to praise the Italian pair.
He wrote, “The Italians were so good in Mixxed and both exceptional at the net especially Vavassori was off the charts good.” With this, the Italian pairing kept their word to show the world that doubles tennis was still alive and that injustice was done to the doubles specialists by revamping the US Open mixed doubles event.
The Italians were so good in Mixxed and both exceptional at the net especially Vavassori was off the charts good
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) August 19, 2025
The format was changed to allow more singles players to participate in the tournament. Even Coco Gauff had registered for the event but pulled out later, citing a hectic schedule. Many doubles specialists came forward to slam the new format, with the former World Number 1, Kristina Mladenovic, saying, “A grand slam is neither preparation nor fun. It’s years of sacrifice. When you’re young, you dream of winning one, even in doubles. In terms of business strategy, it’s a brilliant idea … but from a sporting point of view, it’s problematic because it touches on the essence of tennis. A grand slam is a competition steeped in history, in singles and doubles. There’s no problem putting on such an event, but above all, don’t call it a grand slam.”
Even Andrea Vavassori took a swipe at the US Open organizers after his victory over Fritz and Rybakina. He explained why doubles tennis was way different than singles.
Andrea Vavassori comes down hard on US Open organizers
Vavassori and Errani received a wildcard entry in the mixed doubles at the US Open on account of being the defending champions and were the only specialist doubles pairing. While much had been said about this controversial new format, Vavassori wasn’t happy that the doubles specialists were left out for the singles stars. As a result, he made his feelings felt after his win today.
He said, “I think the tactic in doubles is very important. They are amazing players, we all know that. But in doubles, I think also the combination of the two players, we know each other so well, we are playing a lot of tournaments together. We talk a lot also outside of the court about tactics, we love to challenge each other also on the practice courts, so I think it is very important. We’re also playing for all the doubles players that could not compete here, so we tried to do our best.”
The Italian pair is in the semifinal of the event after defeating Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev. Can they defend their title and prove why doubles tennis is worth it? Let us know your views in the comments below.
The post Coco Gauff’s Ex-coach Rallies Behind Defending US Open Champions Who Fought Against Players’ Unfair Treatment appeared first on EssentiallySports.
