US Open 2026: Muchova and Mensik Lift Mixed Doubles Crown as Qualifying Drama Builds

Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik ended Wednesday night as Grand Slam champions, but their title was only one part of a busy August 26 at the US Open as qualifying tightened, former finalists moved closer to the main draw, Stan Wawrinka received a late wildcard and New York prepared for the singles tournament to begin.

Muchova and Mensik defeated Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, [10-6] inside Arthur Ashe Stadium to win the 2026 US Open mixed doubles championship, giving both Czech players their first Grand Slam title in any discipline.

The victory completed a remarkable evening for the pair. Earlier, they had saved two match points before edging Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev 5-4(6), 3-5, [11-9] in the semifinals.

While Arthur Ashe Stadium delivered the first championship of the tournament, the outer courts continued deciding who will even make the singles main draw.

Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov, Qinwen Zheng, Bianca Andreescu, Coleman Wong and Robin Montgomery were among the players who advanced to Thursday’s final qualifying round at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Elsewhere, the tournament confirmed another significant change to the men’s field as 2016 champion Wawrinka received a late main-draw wildcard following Patrick Kypson’s injury withdrawal.

For complete tournament coverage, follow The Sports Encounter’s tennis hub and our complete US Open 2026 tournament guide.

US Open August 26: Key Results and Developments

Story	August 26 Development
Mixed Doubles Champions	Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik
Mixed Doubles Final	Muchova/Mensik def. Bencic/Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, [10-6]
Muchova/Mensik Semifinal	Def. Andreeva/Rublev 5-4(6), 3-5, [11-9]
Bencic/Cobolli Semifinal	Def. Svitolina/Monfils 4-5(7), 4-1, [10-5]
Key Men’s Qualifying Winners	Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov, Coleman Wong, Jacob Fearnley
Key Women’s Qualifying Winners	Qinwen Zheng, Bianca Andreescu, Robin Montgomery
Main-Draw Wildcard	Stan Wawrinka
Singles Main Draw Begins	August 30

The official US Open mixed doubles report confirms Muchova and Mensik’s championship result and their dramatic route through Wednesday’s semifinal and final.

Muchova and Mensik Finish a Remarkable Night With the Trophy

Muchova and Mensik entered Wednesday needing to survive two matches against partnerships containing some of the strongest singles players in the tournament.

The first almost ended their run.

Andreeva and Rublev forced the semifinal into a deciding 10-point match tiebreak after splitting the opening two sets.

The Russian pair built a 9-7 advantage and held two match points.

One more point would have sent them into the final.

Muchova and Mensik refused to give it away.

The Czech pair won four consecutive points from 7-9 down to take the match tiebreak 11-9 and advance 5-4(6), 3-5, [11-9].

That sequence became the defining passage of their championship run because everything that followed depended on surviving it.

Mensik’s Serve Gives the Czech Pair a Different Weapon

The semifinal showed why Mensik’s presence changed the geometry of the court.

At 6-foot-5, he was able to generate significant first-serve power while also using his reach around the net.

Muchova brought a different skill set.

Her variation, touch and comfort moving forward complemented Mensik’s power, giving the partnership more options than a conventional baseline-heavy mixed doubles pairing.

Neither player entered the tournament as a doubles specialist.

That became part of the story rather than a limitation.

The redesigned US Open mixed doubles event has increasingly rewarded high-level singles players who can adapt quickly to shortened sets, rapid tactical changes and the pressure of match tiebreaks.

Bencic and Cobolli Remove Svitolina and Monfils

The other semifinal produced its own reversal.

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils won the first set against Bencic and Cobolli 5-4(7), putting the married couple one set from the championship match.

Bencic and Cobolli responded by taking the second set 4-1.

They then controlled the deciding match tiebreak 10-5 to reach the final.

The result gave Bencic and Cobolli another major victory one day after they had ended the most watched partnership of Fan Week.

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz had returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium together on Tuesday, winning their opening match before Bencic and Cobolli eliminated them in the quarterfinals.

The Sports Encounter followed that storyline from the beginning through our report on Serena Williams’ US Open return alongside Carlos Alcaraz and our subsequent analysis of their victory and quarterfinal exit.

The Final Swings Twice Before Muchova and Mensik Take Control

The championship match did not follow one direction.

Muchova and Mensik won the opening set 6-3 and appeared to have transferred their semifinal momentum directly into the final.

Bencic and Cobolli answered emphatically.

They took the second set 6-1, erasing the Czech advantage and forcing the title to be decided by another 10-point match tiebreak.

That placed Muchova and Mensik in the same situation they had survived only a short time earlier.

This time they did not need a comeback from match point down.

The Czechs opened enough separation in the breaker to keep Bencic and Cobolli chasing, and Mensik eventually finished the championship with an ace on their third title point.

The final score was 6-3, 1-6, [10-6].

Both Champions Win Their First Grand Slam Trophy

The title carried different meaning for each player.

Mensik had reached his first Grand Slam singles semifinal at Roland Garros earlier in 2026, another sign of his rapid movement toward the leading group in men’s tennis.

Muchova arrived in New York carrying fresher Grand Slam disappointment.

She had reached the Wimbledon singles final in July before losing a three-set championship match to fellow Czech Linda Noskova.

New York gave her another championship opportunity less than two months later.

This one ended differently.

Neither Muchova nor Mensik had previously won a Grand Slam title in singles, doubles or mixed doubles.

They now leave the first championship week of the 2026 US Open as major winners.

Qualifying Produces a Very Different Kind of Pressure

While Muchova and Mensik were playing for a trophy, dozens of singles players spent Wednesday fighting simply to remain in the tournament.

The US Open qualifying event runs from August 24 through August 27, with 16 men’s players and 16 women’s players earning places in the singles main draws.

Wednesday was the second round.

Anyone who survived moved within one victory of the main tournament.

The official US Open qualifying report confirmed advances for Wong, Montgomery, Andreescu, Zheng, Dimitrov, Nishikori and several other notable players.

Kei Nishikori Keeps His Final Grand Slam Alive

Nishikori’s presence in qualifying carries unusual significance.

The former world No. 4 and 2014 US Open finalist has announced that 2026 will be his final professional season.

New York is therefore his final Grand Slam tournament.

He had already survived a three-set opening-round match against Sebastian Ofner on Tuesday.

Wednesday was cleaner.

Nishikori defeated American Michael Antonius 6-4, 6-4 to move into the final qualifying round.

His final obstacle is another Japanese player, Rei Sakamoto.

One victory would place Nishikori back in the main draw of the tournament where he produced the greatest Grand Slam run of his career 12 years ago.

Dimitrov Moves Within One Win of Returning to the Main Draw

Grigor Dimitrov also advanced without dropping a set.

The former world No. 3 defeated Timofey Skatov 7-6(5), 6-4 after conceding only three games in his opening qualifying match.

He saved the only break point he faced against Skatov.

Dimitrov’s return carries its own injury context.

He missed the 2025 US Open after suffering a pectoral injury at Wimbledon while leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets.

He has not appeared in the New York main draw since reaching the quarterfinals in 2024.

Thursday now gives him a chance to change that.

Qinwen Zheng Continues Her Return

Zheng Qinwen defeated Clara Burel 6-1, 7-5 to reach the final qualifying round.

The Chinese star broke serve five times and will face Elena Pridankina for a place in the main draw.

Zheng’s presence in qualifying would have seemed unusual only a few seasons ago.

The Olympic gold medalist reached a career-high ranking of world No. 4 and made consecutive US Open quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024.

Injury changed that trajectory.

She missed the 2025 US Open while recovering from right-elbow surgery.

Her return through qualifying therefore gives this year’s Fan Week one of its strongest comeback stories.

Bianca Andreescu Has Lost Six Games in Two Matches

Former champion Bianca Andreescu has made even quicker progress through qualifying.

The Canadian defeated Veronika Podrez 6-0, 6-3 on Wednesday.

It was the second consecutive match in which Andreescu lost only three games.

Her presence immediately raises memories of 2019, when she defeated Serena Williams in the final to win the US Open singles title.

Andreescu has not appeared in a Grand Slam main draw since the 2024 US Open.

One more win would end that absence.

Coleman Wong Draws Another New York Crowd

Coleman Wong defeated Lukas Neumayer 6-3, 6-3 without facing a break point.

The No. 2 qualifying seed was backed by a large Hong Kong contingent on Court 11 and will face Dusan Lajovic in the final round.

Wong already knows what qualifying successfully in New York feels like.

In 2025, he became the first Hong Kong man in the Open Era to compete in a Grand Slam main draw.

He then won two matches before losing to Andrey Rublev in five sets in the third round.

Another qualification would make that run feel considerably less like a one-off breakthrough.

Robin Montgomery Is One Win From Another Home Main Draw

American Robin Montgomery defeated Jeline Vandromme 7-5, 6-3.

Montgomery won 81 percent of her first-serve points and struck five aces during the 90-minute victory.

She now faces Carson Branstine for a place in the main draw.

The 21-year-old’s path back to this stage has included a lengthy wrist injury that kept her out for nine months.

She returned in March and later won her first WTA title at the Libema Open.

Wednesday’s victory gives her a chance to return to the US Open main draw for the first time since 2023.

American Qualifiers Keep Their Main-Draw Hopes Alive

Montgomery was not the only American to advance.

Elvina Kalieva, Mary Stoiana and Julieta Pareja moved through in the women’s qualifying draw.

Mackenzie McDonald, Nishesh Basavareddy and Colton Smith progressed in the men’s event.

Those results matter because the US Open traditionally gives American tennis a wider platform than any other Grand Slam.

The home challenge is already shaping up strongly in the main draws.

Coco Gauff arrives after winning Cincinnati, a development The Sports Encounter examined in our women’s US Open form analysis after her Cincinnati title.

On the men’s side, Arthur Fils’ Cincinnati championship further opened an already unpredictable field, as explored in our men’s US Open race following Cincinnati.

Wawrinka Gets the New York Farewell That Looked Lost

Wednesday also changed the tournament for Stan Wawrinka.

The 41-year-old had initially been left without a US Open main-draw wildcard and had not entered qualifying.

That appeared to end any possibility of a final competitive appearance at Flushing Meadows.

Patrick Kypson’s injury withdrawal created another opening.

The USTA awarded it to Wawrinka.

The Swiss veteran will therefore return to the main draw exactly 10 years after defeating Novak Djokovic to win the 2016 US Open title.

Wawrinka has announced that he will retire after the 2026 season.

The Sports Encounter examined the unusual sequence behind the decision in our report on Wawrinka’s late US Open wildcard and final New York appearance.

Serena and Venus Williams Add Another Major Storyline

Another wildcard announcement gave Wednesday a different kind of historical weight.

Serena and Venus Williams received entry into the women’s doubles draw.

That will put the sisters back together in Grand Slam doubles 27 years after winning their first US Open women’s doubles championship.

The partnership has produced 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and three Olympic doubles gold medals.

Serena had already returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium this week through mixed doubles with Alcaraz.

Now her New York comeback will continue alongside Venus.

The full implications of that reunion are covered in The Sports Encounter’s report on Serena and Venus Williams receiving the 2026 US Open doubles wildcard.

The Men’s Singles Race Has Changed Before It Begins

Wawrinka’s addition arrives in a men’s tournament that has already lost one of its two dominant players.

Jannik Sinner withdrew because of a right-knee injury.

That removal has changed the seeding structure and widened the championship conversation around Alexander Zverev, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton and the rest of the contenders.

Alcaraz at least received competitive court time through his mixed doubles appearance with Serena Williams after spending more than four months away from tournament tennis because of a wrist injury.

The wider championship picture is examined in our US Open men’s title-race analysis featuring Zverev, Djokovic and Shelton.

August 26 Shows Why Fan Week Is No Longer a Warm-Up

The US Open singles main draw has not started.

That does not mean the tournament has been waiting.

Wednesday produced a Grand Slam championship.

Former major champions fought to survive qualifying.

A former US Open winner received a late route into his final New York main draw.

One of the most successful sibling partnerships in tennis history received another Grand Slam doubles opportunity.

The redesigned calendar has turned Fan Week into something more competitive than a traditional pre-tournament period.

That matters because the pressure is now distributed across several layers of the event.

For Muchova and Mensik, the pressure ended with a trophy.

For Nishikori, Dimitrov, Zheng, Andreescu, Wong and Montgomery, Thursday will decide whether the main tournament even begins.

What Happens Next at the US Open?

Qualifying concludes on Thursday, August 27.

Sixteen men and 16 women will earn the remaining singles main-draw places.

The singles main draw begins Sunday, August 30, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The tournament then runs through September 13.

The official US Open 2026 tournament schedule confirms the transition from Fan Week qualifying into main-draw competition.

The Sports Encounter Verdict

August 26 provided a useful reminder that the US Open no longer needs the first round of singles to create meaningful tennis.

Muchova and Mensik played two pressure matches in one evening, survived two match points and finished the night holding a Grand Slam trophy.

Their championship deserves to lead the day.

The deeper story, however, was how much else moved around them.

Nishikori kept his final major alive.

Dimitrov moved closer to returning to New York after injury interrupted the previous chapter.

Zheng and Andreescu, both players with far stronger resumés than a qualifying draw usually contains, reached the final round.

Wong and Montgomery continued their own comeback and breakthrough stories.

Wawrinka suddenly regained a farewell appearance that had appeared gone.

Serena and Venus Williams received another stage together.

By the time the singles draw begins on Sunday, several of the tournament’s most interesting stories will already have been developing for almost a week.

That is what August 26 established.

The US Open has already started producing consequences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the US Open mixed doubles title in 2026?

Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik won the 2026 US Open mixed doubles title by defeating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, [10-6] in the final.

Did Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik win their first Grand Slam title?

Yes. The 2026 US Open mixed doubles championship was the first Grand Slam title in any discipline for both Muchova and Mensik.

Who did Muchova and Mensik beat in the US Open semifinal?

Muchova and Mensik defeated Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev 5-4(6), 3-5, [11-9] after saving two match points in the deciding match tiebreak.

Did Kei Nishikori win in US Open qualifying on August 26?

Yes. Nishikori defeated Michael Antonius 6-4, 6-4 and moved into the final qualifying round, where he will face Rei Sakamoto for a place in the main draw.

Is Grigor Dimitrov still in US Open qualifying?

Yes. Dimitrov defeated Timofey Skatov 7-6(5), 6-4 and is one victory away from reaching the 2026 US Open main draw.

Did Qinwen Zheng advance in US Open qualifying?

Yes. Zheng defeated Clara Burel 6-1, 7-5 and advanced to the final qualifying round against Elena Pridankina.

Did Stan Wawrinka get a US Open wildcard?

Yes. The USTA awarded Wawrinka a men’s singles main-draw wildcard after Patrick Kypson withdrew because of injury. It will be Wawrinka’s final US Open before his planned retirement after the 2026 season.

Are Serena and Venus Williams playing doubles at the 2026 US Open?

Yes. Serena and Venus Williams received a wildcard into the 2026 US Open women’s doubles draw, extending their Grand Slam partnership in New York.

When does US Open 2026 qualifying end?

The final round of men’s and women’s qualifying is scheduled for Thursday, August 27. Sixteen men and 16 women will earn main-draw places.

When does the 2026 US Open singles main draw start?

The men’s and women’s singles main draws begin on Sunday, August 30, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.