2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship – Confirmed Teams

MAIN DRAW

DIRECT ENTRANTS

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic

Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz

Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev

Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud

Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 

Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien

WILD CARDS

Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori

Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime

Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe

Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils

To be announced

To be announced

To be announced

QUALIFIERS (2)

QUALIFYING 

DIRECT ENTRANTS*

Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten

Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliövaara

Luisa Stefani and Neal Skupski

Aleksandra Krunic and Mate Pavic

Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo

Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 

WILD CARDS 

To be announced

To be announced

*Direct entry into Qualifying was based on best combined singles or doubles ranking.

2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship Schedule and Format

Monday, August 24 – Qualifying (Eight teams competing for two entries)

Grandstand; 11 a.m. start (Free to attend with Fan Access Pass)

Tuesday, August 25 – First Round and Quarterfinals

Louis Armstrong Stadium; 10 a.m. start (Free to attend with Fan Access Pass)

Arthur Ashe Stadium; 11 a.m. start

Wednesday, August 26 – Semifinals and Final

Arthur Ashe Stadium; 7 p.m. start 

ESPN will present the 2026 US Open including US Open Qualifying and Mixed Doubles Championship, both beginning Monday, August 24. The complete 2026 US Open schedule on ESPN will be announced at a later date.

Scoring and match format: 

• Qualifying through the Semifinals: Best-of-three-set matches with sets to four games; no-ad scoring (tiebreak at four-all); 10-point tie-break in lieu of third set.
• Final: Best-of-three set match with sets to six games (tie-break at six-all); no-ad scoring; 10-point tie-break in lieu of third set. 

Tickets for the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship are available via Ticketmaster and USOpen.org.

The post U.S. Open Announces Official Mixed Doubles Entries (And Most Wild Card Entries) appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

The match is a rematch of the same round from 2025, where the Czechs defeated the United States 3-2 in Delray Beach, Florida, a match series where both Shelton and Paul were not able to play due to injury. Read about the 2025 match here https://worldtennismagazine.com/jakub-mensik-after-five-hours-31-minutes-on-court-over-two-days-finishes-czechias-3-2-marathon-davis-cup-upset-over-the-united-states/

Paul and Harrison, along with Ethan Quinn, Austin Krajicek and Emilio Nava, got the U.S. through the first round of Qualifying this year with a 4-0 sweep of Hungary on the road in February.

The Second Round Qualifying tie is a best-of-five match series that will begin with two singles matches on Friday, September 18, then continue with a doubles match and two more singles matches beginning on Saturday, September 19. The first nation between the USA and Czechia to win three out of those five matches wins the Qualifier and will advance to the eight-nation Davis Cup Final 8 to compete for this year’s championship November 24-29 in Bologna, Italy. Tennis Channel will carry coverage in the U.S.

Captains may name up to five players to their rosters and make up to three combined substitutions / additions up until the day prior to the competition starting.

Shelton, 23, ranked No. 6 in singles, last week won his second consecutive Canada ATP Masters 1000 title. This would mark his second Davis Cup appearance, after debuting in the 2024 Finals. He was nominated to play last year vs. Czechia but had to withdraw due to injury.

Fritz, 28, ranked No. 9 in singles, recently won the Washington, D.C., ATP 500 singles title. He’s played in 11 Davis Cup ties for the U.S. since debuting in 2019 and carries an 8-4 singles record. Fritz went 1-1 in singles in the tie vs. Czechia last year while battling an illness.

Paul, 29, ranked No. 24 in singles, has played in 11 ties for the U.S. since debuting in 2020, carrying a 6-3 singles record. He was also set to play in the tie vs. Czechia last year but was also forced to withdraw due to injury.

Harrison, 32, is the top-ranked American man in doubles at No. 12. He made his Davis Cup debut this February in the Qualifying tie vs. Hungary – a week after winning the Australian Open men’s doubles title – and clinched victory for the Americans with Austin Krajicek.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it invests 100 percent of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, along with approximately 100 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) and TikTok.

The post Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Christian Harrison Named To U.S. Davis Cup Team To Face Czechia appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Jack Kennedy, the regally-named 18-year-old from Huntington on Long Island, won the USTA Boys’ 18 National Championship at Kalamazoo College Sunday in a disappointing three-game final as his opponent, Wimbledon junior champion Jordan Lee, was forced to retire down 2-1 with a chest problem.

The boys’ 18s championship at Kalamazoo is a title that comes with something no junior tournament offers: an automatic wild card into the men’s singles main draw at the U.S. Open. It was an anticlimactic ending to a tournament that had, until that point, been anything but easy for either player and featured some of the most promising group of American teenage talent seen in years. Colette Lewis ZooTennis has the complete and detailed coverage from on-site here: https://tenniskalamazoo.blogspot.com/2026/08/kennedy-wins-kalamazoo-18s-title-and-us.html

For Kennedy, the win closes a loop that has been open since he first walked onto Kalamazoo’s George Acker Center Court two years ago. In 2024, he lost a five-set marathon final to Matthew Forbes and last year he fell in the semis to eventual champion Darwin Blanch. This was his third consecutive trip to the final four in Kalamazoo — and, with college enrollment at the University of Virginia arriving this fall, it was his last shot at the title.

Getting to that final was its own test of endurance. In the quarterfinals, Kennedy needed three hours and 20 minutes to escape a battle with future Virginia teammate Ryan Cozad 7-6(6), 5-7, 7-5. In the semifinals, he beat No. 9 seed and Stanford-bound Jack Secord, the son of former WTA Tour pro Linda Harvey-Wild.

Kennedy’s title is now the highlight of his résumé that already reads like that of a player on the doorstep of the professional game. Kennedy climbed as high as No. 5 in the ITF Junior World Rankings and he won the 2025 U.S. Open boys’ doubles title alongside Keaton Hance. He has twice played US Open men’s singles qualifying, losing to Thiago Tirante of Argentina, who just beat 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati this week, by a 6-4, 6-4 scoreline in 2025. In 2024, he lost 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of U.S. Open qualifying to then world No. 100 Maximilian Marterer of Germany. This spring he beat former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori in the second round of the Savannah Challenger, before falling in the final to Nishesh Basavareddy. He won the $15,000-level event in Boca Raton, Florida also in the Spring. His first official pro final was in doubles with Hance at the 2025 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships in Vero Beach, Florida (WATCH HERE: https://youtu.be/E-hpBRdVa5g?si=GuixnVHgAraqVbYK His pro results in Futures and Challengers have earned him a No. 392 ATP Tour singles ranking.

While named for the former President of the United States, Kennedy has no relation to the family. His middle name is Spencer, not Fitzgerald like the President, as he discusses here https://youtu.be/HVYuZCrP6Ow?si=HbAByDSDHWFrcyEQ

The post Jack Kennedy Is U.S. Open Bound With USTA Boys’ 18s Title At Kalamazoo appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

“Now that you’re headed to New York with a main draw US Open singles wild card, would you rather face a high seed on Arthur Ashe Stadium? Or a qualifier on a back court in the first round?”

Frodin, from Woodland Hills in Southern California, took a few seconds to think about it, before answering: “I’m going with seeded player on Arthur Ashe. I want it all. Bring it on!”

The No. 3 seeded Frodin’s play impressed more than 30 former WTA legends of the game, who were introduced on court before the match. Tennis icons such as 39-time majors winner King, 12-time Grand Slam champion Rosie Casals, and San Diego native Karen Hantze Susman, who won the 18s girls’ singles nationals title three straight times in 1958, 1959 and 1960 before going on to win Wimbledon singles in 1962 and three more majors with Billie Jean Moffitt, were part of the cavalcade of stars.

The 17-year-old Frodin’s USTA singles gold ball from Girls’ 18s Nationals will proudly be displayed next to the doubles she won last year. Frodin joins fellow Southern Californians Iva Jovic, Lindsay Davenport and Tracy Austin, who all won both the singles and doubles at Girls’ 18s Nationals

“Honestly, it’s all a blur,” said Frodin, who beat top-seeded Julieta Pareja in the semifinals on Saturday in two tiebreaks. “I just really wanted it and was super excited to play. Yesterday, after I beat the No. 1 seed, it really boosted my confidence.”

Preston, the No. 4 seed from Henderson, Nev., knew it was going to be a long day from the outset. “I tried to fight through it mentally,” said Preston, 16, who won a three-hour marathon three-setter on Saturday and had another three-set win on Friday. “It was a long week, and she played really well.”

In the girls’ 18s doubles final, Bella Payne of Hilton Head Island, S.C., and Sara Shumate of Charlotte, N.C., beat Welles Newman from Boca Raton, Fla., and Jordyn Hazelitt from Henderson, Nev., 6-2, 6-1. Payne (headed to the University of Georgia) and Shumate (Oklahoma) are next off to the US Open, just like Frodin, winning main draw wild cards into the women’s doubles draw. 

Julieta Pareja of Carlsbad won the third-fourth match against Chukwumelije Clarke from Humble, Texas, 6-1, 6-3. 

“It was a great tournament all week, and we extend our appreciation to Ryan Redondo, the Barnes Tennis and the Southern California Tennis Association,” said tournament director Lornie Kuhle. “Today was highlighted by our ‘Summer of Champions’ and the reunion of past WTA greats. We wish our winner Teah Frodin the best of luck, and she was also the 18s Sportsmanship award winner. We have a pretty good track record at producing champions and we think that is going to continue with Teah.”

For more information, visit the official tournament website at ustagirlsnationals.com.

The post Thea Frodin, New USTA Girls’ 18s Champ, Says She Wants To Play A Seed on Ashe Stadium With U.S. Open Wild Card Invite appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

Just two days after capturing his second consecutive Canadian Open title, Ben Shelton’s remarkable run came to an abrupt halt Sunday night at the Cincinnati Open.

The No. 10-seeded American, fresh off a dominant run through the Masters 1000 event in Montreal, was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by qualifier Jaime Faria in Shelton’s opening match in Cincinnati.

For Shelton, it was a stunning reversal of fortunes.

The 23-year-old American had arrived in Cincinnati riding one of the biggest waves of momentum of his career. Shelton defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6(4) in Friday’s all-American Canadian Open final to win his second straight title in Canada and his second career Masters 1000 championship. He did it without dropping a set throughout the tournament. (Reuters)

But the quick turnaround from Montreal to Cincinnati proved difficult.

Shelton never found the same rhythm that carried him through the Canadian Open, while Faria played fearless tennis against one of the hottest players on the ATP Tour.

Faria Takes Advantage of His Opportunity

Faria had already earned his place in the Cincinnati main draw the hard way.

The Portuguese qualifier won two qualifying matches, defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-4 before beating Yibing Wu 6-3, 7-5 to reach the main draw. He then added a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jenson Brooksby before facing Shelton. (Cincinnati Open)

Against Shelton, Faria continued his improbable run.

He broke through at key moments in both sets and never allowed Shelton to establish the kind of explosive offensive game that had been so effective in Montreal. Faria closed out the 6-4, 6-4 victory to record the biggest win of his career.

The result also ended Shelton’s nine-match winning streak.

Cincinnati Suddenly Wide Open

Shelton’s loss is particularly significant because the 2026 Cincinnati Open men’s draw was already shaping up as one of the most unpredictable Masters 1000 events in recent memory.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are both absent from the tournament, leaving the men’s field without two of the dominant figures of the current era. The tournament entered the week with the opportunity wide open even before Shelton’s exit. (Cincinnati Open)

Then came Novak Djokovic’s stunning opening-round loss to Argentina’s Thiago Agustín Tirante. Djokovic, who had not played since Wimbledon, fell 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 after struggling physically in Cincinnati’s heat and humidity. (Reuters)

With Djokovic, Sinner, Alcaraz and now Shelton all out of the Cincinnati title picture, the Masters 1000 tournament has become a genuine free-for-all.

Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and other contenders now have an enormous opportunity to capture one of the biggest titles of the North American hard-court swing.

A Reality Check for Shelton

The Cincinnati defeat shouldn’t erase what Shelton accomplished in Montreal.

His Canadian Open victory was arguably the strongest sustained performance of his career. He won seven matches without dropping a set and defeated a series of talented opponents before beating Nakashima in the final. Reuters noted that Shelton’s victory marked his seventh career title and his second Masters 1000 crown.

But the loss to Faria illustrates just how quickly fortunes can change on the ATP Tour.

Shelton went from being one of the hottest players in the world to an early Cincinnati casualty in less than 48 hours.

And with the U.S. Open beginning later this month, Shelton will now have to turn the page quickly.

His Montreal triumph showed that he can play at a championship level.

His Cincinnati exit showed that even a Masters 1000 champion can be vulnerable when the schedule, conditions and opponent all come together against him.

For Faria, meanwhile, the Cincinnati dream continues.

A qualifier has now taken down one of the tournament’s biggest stars — and with the men’s draw suddenly wide open, anything appears possible in Cincinnati.

The post Ben Shelton Falls To Qualifier Jaime Faria In Cincinnati Open Opener appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

Novak Djokovic’s return to tournament tennis ended with a stunning early exit Saturday as Argentina’s Thiago Agustín Tirante rallied from a set down to defeat the No. 2 seed 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the Cincinnati Open.

For Djokovic, the defeat was more than just an unexpected loss. It was a physically demanding afternoon that raised questions about whether the 39-year-old Serbian is ready for the grueling conditions that await him at the U.S. Open.

Tirante, ranked a career-high No. 50 entering Cincinnati, had already established himself as a dangerous hard-court opponent after defeating Taylor Fritz in Montreal. He showed exactly why against Djokovic, refusing to be intimidated by one of the greatest players in tennis history.

Djokovic looked sharp early, taking the opening set 6-2. But as the match progressed, the oppressive Cincinnati heat and humidity appeared to become an increasingly important factor.

Tirante continued to apply pressure, while Djokovic struggled to maintain the same level of intensity he had displayed early in the match. The Argentine claimed the second set 6-4 and then broke through again in the deciding set, closing out the biggest victory of his career by the same 6-4 score.

The statistics illustrated Tirante’s aggressive approach. He struck 13 aces to Djokovic’s five and repeatedly used his serve and forehand to keep Djokovic from settling into his usual rhythm. Djokovic also committed seven double faults.

The result was particularly surprising because Djokovic had been using Cincinnati as an opportunity to gain match preparation heading into the U.S. Open. He had not played since Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinals before losing to Jannik Sinner. (Tennis Tonic)

And that makes Saturday’s defeat potentially more significant.

Djokovic has demonstrated throughout his career that one disappointing Masters 1000 result does not necessarily translate into trouble at a Grand Slam. He has frequently been able to reset, prepare and elevate his level when the stakes increase.

But the physical questions cannot simply be ignored.

The U.S. Open will present another demanding environment, with New York’s late-summer heat and humidity capable of turning long matches into endurance tests. If Cincinnati exposed a vulnerability for Djokovic, it was his ability to maintain his physical level under extreme conditions.

There is also the issue of match preparation. Djokovic entered Cincinnati needing matches after his Wimbledon run, but instead he leaves Ohio after only one match. That means he will have limited competitive preparation before the final Grand Slam of the season.

Still, it would be premature to write Djokovic off.

The Serbian remains one of the most accomplished hard-court players in tennis history, and the best-of-five-set format at the U.S. Open is a completely different challenge from a best-of-three Masters 1000 match.

But Cincinnati has provided a warning.

Tirante proved that Djokovic can be vulnerable when an opponent is willing to attack relentlessly and force him to work in difficult physical conditions. The Argentine’s victory also continues an impressive rise: Tirante has climbed dramatically up the rankings over the past year and now owns one of the biggest wins of his career. (ATP Tour)

For Djokovic, there is now little time to make adjustments.

The U.S. Open is approaching, and the question is no longer simply whether Djokovic can produce his best tennis in New York.

It is whether his body will allow him to do it.

The post Thiago Tirante Stuns Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati Heat Test appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

by Joel Drucker

A saying goes that behind every tennis player there is another tennis player.  In my fortunate case, that player happened to be a legend.  His name was Tony Trabert.  Start off by noting that in 1955, Tony was ranked number one in the world – singles winner at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Championships (now the US Open).  He was also a Davis Cup stalwart, including a lead role on America’s ’54 championship team.  Further honors included five years as Davis Cup captain, serving as CBS’ premier analyst for more than a quarter-century, and a decade as president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF).

Tony died in 2021.  This year, on Sunday, August 9 – one week before what would have been his 96th birthday — Tony was honored in his hometown, Cincinnati, at an elegant event held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home of the Cincinnati Open.  As the longest running tournament in the U.S. still played in its city of origin, the 127-year-old Cincinnati Open has done a fine job moving in two parallel but potentially disparate directions.  One way points to the future, highlighted by $260 million worth of improvements that have made the facility sparkle more than ever.  Then there was a recent look to the past, the tournament naming its Stadium 3 court after Tony.

Hosted by the superbly smooth Andrew Krasny, the event featured remarks from many who’d known Tony, including tournament director Bob Moran, former ITHF chairman Chris Clouser, ITHF inductee and fellow broadcaster Pam Shriver, and Tony’s widow, Vicki.  Also in attendance – Tony’s son Mike, daughter Brooke, Mike’s wife Dinny, Tony’s grandchildren, and dozens more who knew and valued Tony’s incredibly classy and gracious manner.  I was there too, joined by my girlfriend, Angie.     

My journey with Tony goes back more than 50 years, to the summer of 1972.  I was 12 years old and had just started to play tennis.  That July, I showed up to attend what proved to be the first of four annual three-week long treks to his tennis camp.  Located in Ojai, a quaint village town 85 miles northwest of Los Angeles, one major camp selling point was Tony’s round-the-clock presence.  Over many a warm summer morning, into even hotter afternoons, ably aided by such skilled counselors as Mark Winters and Dave Engelberg, Tony oversaw instruction, giving crystal-clear commands on all the tennis fundamentals certain to make us lifelong players and lovers of the game. 

Supremely logical, Tony’s wisdom included such insights as:

+ “Give yourself plenty of net clearance when hitting your groundstrokes.  It’s much better to hit the ball long than into the net.”

+ “Lob a lot early versus netrushers.  If you put them on alert that way, you’ll have a few more inches for your passing shots.”

+ “Early in the match, get in a lot of first serves.  Don’t worry about hitting it too hard yet.  Let the other guy show you how well he returns.”

It was amazing to hear Tony tell us campers something one day and then weeks later, listen to him deliver that same insight on CBS when discussing US Open matches.  As a lefthander, I particularly savored Tony’s nuanced views on such fellow southpaws as Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova, and John McEnroe.  Aided by Tony’s example and direction, I learned my one stroke that has even been called pretty – a moderately elegant one-handed backhand that I can hit with both topspin and underspin. 

Even more notable: Tony’s strong emphasis on character:

+ Show respect for your opponents no matter the circumstances.

+ Be it in victory or defeat, display gracious sportsmanship. 

+ Put in time to prepare – for a match, a school assignment, a job interview.

The latter proved particularly helpful in the fall of 1979, when, four years after last attending the camp, I applied for a job to be a counselor at Tony’s camp.  I was 19 years old then and, as part of the interview process, was scheduled to hit with Tony at a private court in Beverly Hills.  One day prior, I warmed up with a friend, reminding myself to keep my knees bent and drive through the ball.  Fortunately, I did that well enough for Tony to see I was a plausible tennis player and also had enough teaching experience (thanks to many concepts learned from Tony) to become a counselor. 

Working for Tony over the course of two summers was fantastic.  The same level of devotion and class that made him a champion were present every day as he ran the camp, gave us counselors kindly marching orders, and even took time to hit some with us too.  

As the years went on, I maintained frequent contact with Tony, from interviews for various stories, to working together for CBS during the US Open, to a variety of projects connected with the International Tennis Hall of Fame.  In December 2019, as part of my work as historian-at-large for the ITHF, I flew to Tony’s home and conducted a three-hour oral history interview.  What a treat that was, particularly given the length of time we’d known one another. 

So when Brooke and Mike invited me to Cincinnati, the choice to attend was a no-brainer – as easy and natural as it was to hit that one-hander Tony taught us how to hit.  From Ohio to Ojai, from Wimbledon to Newport, Tony Trabert touched the lives of many.  How great it was to see him honored by the Cincinnati Open.     

__

Longstanding tennis writer Joel Drucker most recently collaborated with International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Pasarell to write Pasarell’s newly released autobiography, “Serving First: Dreams Realized and Lessons Learned from Family, Friends, and a Life in Tennis.” 

The post Cincinnati Open Honors Hall of Famer Tony Trabert appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

By Chloe Wellington-Hunt

X: @chloemwhunt

Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul have spent six years building one of the most recognizable partnerships in men’s doubles. They practice together, live in the same place, travel the world together and, nearly every week of the season, walk onto the court alongside the same partner.

They also fight.

“Last week we played the final in Sweden, and we had a big fight the day before,” Reboul said. “But I think that’s how it works and how you improve in the relationship.”

For Doumbia and Reboul, that might be the secret. Their partnership has never been solely about tennis. The Frenchmen have built something that increasingly stands out in an era of frequent partner changes: a doubles team with an identity, a history and, perhaps most importantly, a friendship that matters to them regardless of what happens on the court.

“Our relationship is more important than the tennis,” Doumbia said. “So I think if we have a good relationship, we will be good on the court. So yeah, that’s the most important for us.”

As the ATP Tour moves through the North American hard-court season, Doumbia and Reboul are also arriving at an important moment for doubles itself. Questions about the format and future of the discipline have intensified, while doubles players have increasingly been challenged to think about how their game can attract and retain an audience.

Doumbia and Reboul aren’t interested in simply defending the status quo. They want to help make doubles better.

“We are more thinking long-term like how can we improve the product,” Doumbia said. “It’s a lot of self-reflection as well. How can we do better as double players to attract more people to the game? How can we improve our social media, the fan base? This is more like an open conversation.”

For them, the answer begins with something they already have: each other.

Six Years, One Team

Their partnership is a long time in the making.

Before becoming one of the ATP Tour’s established doubles teams, Doumbia played college tennis at the University of Georgia. His eventual route into professional doubles was anything but conventional.

“I was drinking and partying like every single day…had two or three job offers to work in finance in the US,” Doumbia said. “Okay f*ck it, I’m going back to France, I was ten kilos heavier. After like two or three years, I won a Challenger in Pune.”

For Doumbia, continuing to play was not primarily about chasing money or even a particular ranking.

“I didn’t care about the money,” Doumbia said. “For me, it’s about like having fun and playing tennis.”

Then came a conversation that would ultimately change two careers. Reboul was contemplating walking away from the sport. Doumbia encouraged his friend to keep going, and the two eventually faced a choice: either Reboul would quit, or they would try doubles together.

Doumbia had one condition.

“‘If we start doubles together, we finish doubles together,’” he told him.

Six years later, they are still together.

“We always play together. Since six years, we play every week together. We practice together. We live in the same place. We see each other almost every day during the year,” Doumbia said. “I think people love to see this kind of relationship every time we play.”

What feels ordinary to them can look remarkable from the outside.

“They say, your chemistry is amazing,” Doumbia said. “Sometimes we don’t see it because we always play together. But they say, we are so surprised to see that.”

That chemistry does not mean the two are alike. In fact, much of the appeal comes from just how different they are.

“Same outfits, very different game style, very different mindsets, very different characters,” Doumbia said.

On court, Reboul is often the louder presence.

“I’m screaming everywhere, running everywhere,” Reboul said.

“You are a more strategic guy,” he added of Doumbia. “People love to watch both of us. I think people like that.”

The contrast works because neither is trying to manufacture it.

“The authenticity also,” Reboul said. “We are very natural. We never fake.”

A Partnership That Can Survive a Fight

Six years together also means six years of disagreements, frustrations and the occasional fight.

“We have a couple of relationships, so sometimes we fight a lot,” Reboul said. “Last week we played the final in Sweden, and we had a big fight the day before, but I think that’s how it works and how you improve in the relationship.”

The disagreements, he said, have ultimately strengthened rather than weakened the partnership.

“Sometimes you do some mistakes, some bad things, but then you learn, and then the relationship is growing, and you get to know each other even better after years and years,” Reboul said. “So we keep enjoying it even more than before. So I think that’s the most important. Our relationship is more important than the tennis.”

Doumbia sees it similarly.

“I feel like it comes naturally with us. It’s like a friendship,” he said.

And apparently, retirement might not even be enough to separate them.

“I mean, after tennis, maybe we do something else,” Doumbia said. “We can play padel together or something.”

Reboul was less immediately convinced.

“You don’t want to play with me?” Doumbia asked.

“I don’t know,” Reboul replied.

“If you’re good enough, yeah, maybe,” Doumbia said. “No, we can play padel, and if we don’t make it in padel, we can go to an easier sport like pickleball or something.”

Building an Identity in Doubles

The partnership is immediately visible before a ball is struck.

Doumbia and Reboul routinely arrive in matching ASICS outfits, creating a cohesive visual identity that feels more like a traditional team than two individual players temporarily sharing a side of the court.

It is deliberate.

“I feel like the fact of playing together, having an identity as a team, switching partners, like you said, wearing the same outfit, I feel like this is a way to draw fans to the sport,” Doumbia said.

For a doubles discipline trying to turn spectators into fans of specific teams rather than simply tennis fans watching whichever pairing happens to be playing, that distinction matters.

“I feel like people need to identify themselves to some players, and we’re trying to do that,” Doumbia said. “We have good chemistry on court.”

The pair have become sufficiently recognizable that when other doubles players are asked which teams are doing the best job of entertaining and connecting with audiences, Doumbia and Reboul’s names come up.

They have a theory about why.

“I feel like it’s a bit different with us because we are such good friends, of course,” Doumbia said. “We do so many things together. We have this relationship which is a bit special.”

But again, they return to the differences between them.

“We are very different,” Doumbia said. “I think we are pretty friendly. We get along with everyone, which is nice. But we don’t force it. This is the way we are. Same outfits, very different game style, very different mindsets, very different characters.”

Those differences have become part of the product.

“I feel like we have a good chemistry and we are very different players,” Doumbia said. “Maybe this is why some doubles players like us as well. Because we bring something different. We are having fun. We are enjoying it. This is the most important thing as well.”

The Future of Doubles

Their approach arrives at a pivotal time.

As conversations continue about the place of doubles within professional tennis, Doumbia and Reboul do not speak like players waiting for someone else to solve the problem.

“We’re trying to understand what the tournament wants, what the ATP wants,” Doumbia said. “We’re not stuck like we have to save doubles.”

Instead, they are asking what doubles players themselves can do differently.

“We are more thinking long-term like how can we improve the product,” Doumbia said. “It’s a lot of self-reflection as well. How can we do better as double players to attract more people to the game? How can we improve our social media, the fan base? This is more like an open conversation.”

That framing is important. Doumbia does not view the debate as an attack.

“We don’t see it as they want to take our jobs out,” he said. “It’s more like a learning curve and a learning process.”

And the pair say the support they hear directly from spectators gives them reason to believe there remains an appetite for doubles.

“Also, many people, when we come to the tournament, the days before we’re practicing, many people come to us,” Doumbia said. “We love to watch doubles, guys. We want you to play for more years.”

“We appreciate also the support of a lot of people,” Reboul added. “We feel that a lot of people try to support us. When you see the doubles this week, for example, it’s not always full, but there’s many people coming to watch the doubles. To feel that they enjoy it is always nice.”

Showing Fans What Happens Beyond the Score

If doubles needs personalities and storylines, Doumbia and Reboul are willing to provide both.

Their social-media presence is an extension of the same dynamic seen on court — and, predictably, they disagree about who does it better.

“With social media, first of all, we like it,” Doumbia said, before pointing to Reboul. “Especially him. He loves social media. Do I agree with the content? I think my content is better.”

“I like my Instagram better,” Doumbia continued. “I feel like my Instagram is more classy. His is more foolish.”

“Having fun. Clownish,” Reboul said. “It’s our personality on the court. I scream on my video. I love that. That’s the way we are as well.”

The humor masks a broader idea about how professional doubles can market itself. Their goal is not to invent personas for the internet. It is to give fans access to personalities and stories they may not otherwise see.

“About the content, I don’t know. What do we really do? We try to show the way we are,” Doumbia said. “This is what we do. I think some people like it. Some people don’t really like it.”

That includes allowing fans to see the rivalries and tensions that naturally develop on tour.

Discussing one social-media video involving Mate Pavić, Doumbia made clear there was no manufactured feud.

“Pavic, nothing against him. We like him. If the guy doesn’t say hi, he doesn’t say hi. Now he’s being a nice guy and we get along,” Doumbia said. “Of course, if the guy screams in my face for 20 seconds after every match, I’m going to hold a bit of a grudge.”

For Doumbia, those details matter because they give audiences a reason to care about what happens when the match begins.

“I feel like fans like that,” he said. “As a fan, for example, I like that. During the World Cup, I like as much the inside stories than watching what happens in the field. I was thinking maybe we can give this to the fans as well and share the experience.”

From Grass to Clay to Hard Courts

For now, the immediate challenge is tennis.

The transition into the North American hard-court season came after a particularly abrupt sequence of surfaces: Wimbledon on grass, Sweden on clay and then a return to hard courts. World Tennis Magazine spoke with the team at the Mubadala DC Open in the nation’s capital.

“Yeah, we get used to changing the surface all the time because we played Wimbledon three weeks ago, then we went to Sweden where we played on clay court, and now the first tournament on hard court, so it’s never easy to adjust,” Reboul said. “We had maybe five or six days of preparation, but I think we did pretty well, and we get used to changing conditions.”

The adjustment comes alongside the distinctive energy of playing in the United States, where the pair say doubles crowds have become an important source of support.

“Yeah, honestly, first we love to play in the US. There’s always a good vibe in a tournament, so many people. They love doubles also, so it’s very nice,” Reboul said.

“We know that every match is crowded with a lot of people. We have a lot of support now,” he continued. “We played many years in the same tournament, so now we have people that support us a lot.”

In an early hard-court test, they had to navigate difficult conditions as well as their opponents.

“It was a pretty tough match, tough conditions, a bit windy,” Reboul said. “I think we did a great job, very focused, very solid, so we’re very happy with the win.”

The crowd hears them, too. Doumbia and Reboul are not a team inclined to hide their emotion, and the energy that comes from the court has increasingly become part of their identity.

That identity — matching clothes, contrasting personalities, arguments, jokes, screams and all — could offer one answer to the larger question confronting doubles.

The future of the discipline may depend partly on whether fans can become invested not merely in matches, but in teams. Whether they know who the players are, understand their relationships and rivalries and have reasons to follow them from tournament to tournament.

Doumbia and Reboul have spent six years building exactly that.

“We always play together,” Doumbia said. “Since six years, we play every week together.”

For a partnership that began with a promise to finish doubles together, the future extends beyond the next match, the next hard-court tournament or even tennis itself.

“I mean, after tennis, maybe we do something else,” Reboul joked to his partner. “We can play padel together or something.”

The post “Our Relationship Is More Important Than the Tennis”: Doumbia and Reboul on Chemistry, Friendship, and the Future of ATP Doubles appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

Image: Finley Ashford

Every April the red clay at the Monte-Carlo Country Club slows the game down and turns the world’s best players into grinders. Rallies stretch, drop shots multiply, and the principality fills with people who have watched Rafael Nadal lift the trophy a record eleven times. Almost all of them pass a second landmark on the way to the courts, one older than the tournament itself. The Casino de Monte-Carlo has been dealing cards since the 1860s, and the game it is most tied to is not roulette. It is baccarat.

That old table has quietly moved online. The game Monaco built part of its glamour on now runs on the internet and settles in cryptocurrency instead of plaques and cash. Shuffle collects its live and computer-dealt baccarat tables on a page it labels play baccarat with crypto, where a single coup resolves in USDT much as it once resolved in casino chips. For a tennis crowd that already reads Monte Carlo as shorthand for high-stakes composure, the overlap is smaller than it first looks.

The Country Club and the Casino Share a Coastline

The Monte-Carlo Masters is not actually staged in Monaco. The Country Club sits just over the border in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, a few minutes along the sea from the casino terraces, yet the tournament sells the whole Monte Carlo mystique regardless. The Casino de Monte-Carlo, run for generations by the Societe des Bains de Mer, is the source of it. Its Belle Epoque rooms have appeared in films and novels for more than a century, and their name was built on unhurried, high-limit card play rather than the clatter of slots.

Why Baccarat Became the Room’s Signature

Baccarat fitted Monte Carlo because it is a spectators’ game as much as a players’ one. There are only three wagers, Banker, Player, and Tie, and once the bet is down the cards do the rest. No hitting, no standing, no strategy chart to memorize. The drama is in watching a coup turn, which is why directors kept setting scenes at the baccarat table rather than the blackjack pit. For a sport whose supporters will happily sit through a two-hour clay-court war of attrition, a game defined by tension and patience is easy to warm to.

What Crypto Changes, and What It Does Not

Moving the table on-chain changes the plumbing, not the odds. Deposits and withdrawals travel as cryptocurrency, often a dollar-pegged stablecoin such as USDT, so a player funds from a wallet rather than a bank card. The result of each hand still comes the way any modern casino game produces one: from an RNG, a random number generator, on the computer-dealt tables, or from a live dealer streamed from a studio. RTP, return to player, is the long-run share of stakes a game hands back, and none of it bends because the settlement currency has changed.

The Edge Never Leaves the House

Here is the part a clear-eyed tennis fan should hold onto. Baccarat’s Banker bet carries a house edge of about 1.06 percent, the Player bet about 1.24 percent, and the Tie far worse. Those sit among the lowest edges on any casino floor, which is why the game gets called “almost a coin flip.” But almost is not the same as even. The house keeps a mathematical margin on every wager, and no streak-reading, pattern-spotting, or scorecard habit removes it. You can enjoy the swing of a good shoe the way you enjoy a tight tiebreak, yet the numbers do not turn in the customer’s favour over a long enough run.

A Calendar Built for Watching, Not Grinding

The clay swing is a lesson in pacing. Elite players now manage their bodies across it with real care; in 2026 both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of hard-court events to protect nagging injuries, proof that even the best treat their schedule as a budget. Recreational baccarat rewards the same discipline in miniature. Decide on a figure you would happily spend on a match ticket, treat it as the price of the entertainment, and stop when it is gone. It is a diversion between the real events of a day, not a second salary.

History Is Half the Appeal

Part of what pulls a tennis traveller toward the table is simply the place. The casino is a piece of European history, and its long institutional story predates the tennis by almost a hundred years. Playing the modern crypto version is less about chasing that past than tipping a hat to it. Gambling involves risk. 18+. Play responsibly.

Baccarat Mechanics, Answered

How does a single hand of baccarat play out?

Two hands are dealt, one called Banker and one called Player, and you bet on which will finish closer to nine. Cards are added by fixed rules, no choices required, and the winning side pays out. You are not playing against other people, only backing an outcome.

What does it mean to play baccarat with crypto?

It means the money side runs on cryptocurrency. You fund from a wallet, often in a stablecoin like USDT, and wins and losses settle on-chain. The cards, the drawing rules, and the odds are exactly the same as a cash table.

Is the Banker bet genuinely the best of the three?

By the math, yes. Its house edge of roughly 1.06 percent is lower than the Player bet and far lower than the Tie. That still means the house holds an edge, so best here means least costly, not profitable.

What separates a live table from a computer-dealt one?

A live table streams a real dealer handling real cards in real time. A computer-dealt table uses an RNG to decide each card instantly. The house edge is the same on both; the difference is pace and atmosphere.

Does a larger bankroll improve my odds?

No. A bigger balance lets you play longer or bet more per hand, but it does not change the fixed odds of any single coup. More action against a built-in edge tends to cost more, not less.

The post Monte Carlo’s Other Famous Table: Why Tennis Fans Play Baccarat With Crypto appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.

Ben Shelton has done it again in Canada.

One year after capturing his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto, Shelton successfully defended his National Bank Open crown Thursday night, defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6(4) in the 2026 final in Montreal.

The victory gives Shelton back-to-back Canadian titles and puts his name alongside some of the greatest players in tennis history.

Before Shelton, only four men had won consecutive Canadian Open titles in the Masters 1000 era while the tournament alternated between Toronto and Montreal: Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. (National Bank Open)

Shelton is now the fifth.

Shelton Owns Canada Again

There was something fitting about Shelton finishing his Canadian title defense against Nakashima.

The two Americans had met five times previously, with Shelton winning every encounter, including a victory over Nakashima during last year’s National Bank Open in Toronto.

This time, however, Nakashima arrived with the biggest opportunity of his career.

The 25-year-old had reached his first Masters 1000 final after defeating Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar in the semifinals. Nakashima’s run included some impressive tennis, particularly with his serve and aggressive baseline game.

But Shelton was simply too good when it mattered most.

The fifth-seeded American broke early and controlled the opening set, using his explosive left-handed serve and forehand to keep Nakashima under constant pressure.

Shelton took the first set 6-3.

The second set became a much tighter battle, with both Americans protecting their serves and refusing to give the other an opening. Eventually, the championship was decided in a tiebreak.

Shelton kept his nerve, closing out the title 7-6(4).

From Toronto To Montreal

Shelton’s Canadian story began exactly one year ago.

At the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto, the then-22-year-old American defeated Karen Khachanov 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3) to win his first Masters 1000 championship.

That breakthrough changed the trajectory of Shelton’s career.

He became the youngest American to win an ATP Masters 1000 title since Andy Roddick’s 2004 triumph at the Miami Open, and the victory propelled him to a career-high No. 6 ranking. (ATP Tour)

Now Shelton has followed that breakthrough with something even more difficult: winning the Canadian title again.

The location changed from Toronto to Montreal, but the champion remained the same.

Shelton’s Hard-Court Confidence Continues To Grow

The victory is another important sign of Shelton’s development as an all-around player.

His serve remains one of the biggest weapons in men’s tennis, but Shelton has increasingly shown that he can win matches even when his first-strike game isn’t completely dominant.

During his run in Montreal, he produced a particularly impressive quarterfinal performance, crushing Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-1 in just 72 minutes. Shelton committed only three unforced errors in that match while controlling the action with his serve and aggressive tennis.

He then defeated Learner Tien 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals despite sustaining a minor injury after crashing into the back wall.

And when he reached the final, Shelton once again looked like the player who had conquered Toronto a year earlier.

A Huge Moment For American Tennis

The Montreal final was also significant because it was an all-American Masters 1000 championship match.

Nakashima’s appearance marked his first Masters 1000 final, while Shelton was playing for his second title at the level.

That made the final a showcase for the next generation of American men’s tennis.

Nakashima deserves enormous credit for reaching the championship match. His semifinal victory over Jodar ended one of the breakout stories of the tournament and gave him a chance to win his first Masters 1000 title.

But Shelton had already been down this road.

A year ago, he learned how to close out a Masters 1000 final under enormous pressure.

In Montreal, he showed that experience.

Back To Back

There is a difference between winning a big tournament once and proving you can win it again.

Shelton has now done the latter.

He won the National Bank Open in Toronto in 2025.

He won the National Bank Open in Montreal in 2026.

And by doing so, Ben Shelton has officially established himself as one of the dominant players of the Canadian hard-court swing.

The next challenge is obvious.

The U.S. Open is approaching, and Shelton is heading into New York with another Masters 1000 title, another surge of confidence and proof that he can handle the biggest moments.

Canada has belonged to Ben Shelton for two straight years.

Now the rest of the tennis world has to figure out how to stop him.

The post Ben Shelton Goes Back To Back In Canada, Defeats Brandon Nakashima For Montreal Title appeared first on World Tennis Magazine.