Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka didn't likely decide to team up for mixed doubles at the US Open with the intention of being a long-term duo. They wanted to have a little fun and used however many matches they played as a warm-up event for the main draw of the final major of the year.
Their first mixed doubles match didn't shape up to be easy, either. Their opponents were Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten, two players who might not have anywhere near the singles success as Djokovic and Sabalenka, but individually have had greater success playing doubles than their iconic foes.
This made the opening set of their first-round matchup slightly more surprising. Djokovic and Sabalenka were the top seeds in mixed doubles, but likely more based on their names than on how good a partnership they might form. Patten and Siniakova were the more natural fits.
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka bounced out of US Open mixed doubles in the first round
Yet, it was the returning of Sabalenka and Djokovic that determined the early points, just as they often do when the two play in singles matches. That might be the magic of the powers in doubles, too, as each is an elite returner and simply needed to figure out how to pair with one another.
The two tennis stars took the opening set 4-1 (mixed doubles is played to whoever wins four games first and doesn't feature any possible ad points). They were enjoying themselves, the crowd was entertained, and ultimately, that is what mattered most to the US Open and the players themselves.
In the second set, Djokovic and Sabalenka got a break early to lead 2-1, and with a hold they seemed certain to sweep into the second round, which would also be played on Tuesday.
At 30-all, though, a miscommunication between the Serb and the Belarusian allowed a ball to go between them, and Patten and Siniakova had a break point. The same happened on the next point, and the set was back to even. In fact, Djokovic and Sabalenka wouldn't win another game and dropped the set 2-4.
The tie-break was an ugly one for the two tennis legends. The better doubles players won, as they should have. Patten and Siniakova took it 10-2 and proved why great singles players don't always make great doubles players.
Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten will next face Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals. The wife-and-husband team defeated Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first-round match at the US Open.
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