'Doubles is a great product': Italian pair defend US Open mixed doubles crown and walk away with $1.54 million

(Getty/Elsa)

On Wednesday, following his first round mixed doubles win at the US Open alongside Sara Errani, Andrea Vavassori mentioned that they are representing "all the doubles players" who were turned away from competing in the revamped event.

Well, the Italian pair have emphatically silenced US Open organisers by going back-to-back in a thrilling three-set encounter against No.3 seeds Casper Ruud and Iga Świątek.

With the second round of singles qualifying washed out on the outside courts, fans flocked into Arthur Ashe Stadium to create a thrilling atmosphere for both semi-finals and the final.

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It was a miracle that Ruud and Świątek were still left standing after trailing 4-8 in the 10-point third set tiebreak against top seeds Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula.

Vavassori and Errani, who eased past American duo Christian Harrison and Danielle Collins 4-2, 4-2, rallied back in the final after dropping serve at 4-3 in the early stages, earning the immediate break back to pull away with the opening set.

Down 2-3 on serve in the second set, Vavassori required a medical timeout to help nullify a niggling leg complaint, which could be an explanation as to why they failed to close out a 5-3 advantage, as Ruud and Świątek were a 10-point tiebreak away from producing another extraordinary comeback.

Yet it wasn't to be, as their audibly motivated and energetic opponents raced out to a crucial 4-0 lead, which was enough to seal a 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 victory.

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"We showed today that doubles is a great product. I think also in the future we need more marketing [and] more visibility, but I think this product is something that can work in the future," Vavassori said on stage.

Errani added, "I think this one is for all the doubles players that couldn’t play this tournament. I think this one is also for them."

For winning the 2024 mixed doubles championship, Vavassori and Errani split A$300,000, but 12 months later, they walk away with a combined A$1.54 million after defending the title at the same tournament.

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