By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Serena Williams' return to Arthur Ashe Stadium came to an abrupt end on Tuesday as she and Carlos Alcaraz fell 5-4(4) 4-1 to Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic in the U.S. Open mixed doubles quarter-finals, their magic fading after an inspired early performance.
The 23-times major winner had not competed at the crown jewel of American tennis since her tearful farewell from the sport in 2022, and fans erupted in deafening cheers as their queen took the court
again.
The 44-year-old Williams had an easy rapport with Alcaraz, who is 21 years her junior, as the partners grinned and giggled their way past Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3 4-1 in the opening round earlier on Tuesday.
But their firepower was extinguished by the ice-cold Cobolli and Bencic, who will play married partners Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
"Playing Serena and Carlos on Arthur Ashe is not easy. I was tired before the match, I'm tired now," said the Italian Cobolli.
Williams, who is not competing in the singles, showed glimpses of her old brilliance in their opening match against Routliffe and Glasspool, blasting a 120 mph (193.1 kph) ace to audible gasps from the packed house a little more than two months after she announced her stunning comeback.
Alcaraz, who has not played since April due to injury, shook off the early rust to close out the set with a forehand winner before they sprinted through the second set, embracing after the win in their matching royal purple outfits.
"It's always such an amazing place to be here," said Williams. "I never expected to be back on this court."
The Roland Garros runner-up Cobolli and Tokyo Olympic champion Bencic were too tough a task, however, as both Williams and Alcaraz made early mistakes and Cobolli sealed the tiebreak with an ace.
The Swiss-Italian pair only upped their level from there, with no unforced errors in the second set, and gave credit to their opponents after the match.
"I don't know how I landed on this court - to play Carlos and Serena is a great honour," said Bencic.
REVAMPED FORMAT
The mixed doubles main draw kicked off on Tuesday in the second year of its revamped format, which put singles stars in the spotlight in an effort to lure more fans in a standalone spot the week before the singles main draw.
The move proved a commercial success in its debut year, drawing sellout crowds and attracting many of the sport's biggest singles names despite criticism from some doubles specialists, who argued it marginalised established pairings.
Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka were beaten 1-4 4-2 10-2 by experienced doubles players Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova in round one, with Siniakova sealing the upset in style with an ace.
Patten and Siniakova went on to lose to Monfils and Svitolina in the quarters 5-4(6) 4-5(3) 10-8 in their second match on Tuesday.
"The chemistry is what put us through because we understand each other even by the look at each other's reaction or kind of mood," said Svitolina. "We can find the right words for each other."
Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik will play Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev in the other semi-final match on Wednesday.
Rublev and Andreeva beat last year's champions, Italian duo Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, 1-4 4-1 11-9 in the opening round before ousting Casper Ruud and Diana Shnaider 4-1 4-5(9) 10-5.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York and Pearl Josephine Nazare in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
