Karolina Muchova, Jakub Mensik Win U.S. Open Mixed Doubles Championship

Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik completed a whirlwind two days of tennis to capture the 2026 US Open mixed doubles title, edging out Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, [10-6] in a final that swung wildly from dominant to dramatic.

A Partnership Born From a Text Message

The story behind this title started small: Mensik texting Muchova the night before the tournament to coordinate their outfits, something that shoujld be done more in doubles and mixed doubles to make it more attractive. The pair settled on matching pink tops and maroon bottoms — and by the end of the week, they looked like champions in more ways than one. It was the first time the two Czechs had ever played together, and yet they moved through the draw like seasoned partners, blending Muchova’s touch and craft at net with Mensik’s thunderous serve.

Surviving the Semifinal First

Getting to the final was a battle in itself. Just before the championship match, Muchova and Mensik needed to save two match points against Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, rallying from 3-0 and 8-5 down to escape with a 5-4(6), 3-5, [11-9] win. Mensik’s serve was the hero in that decider, firing an ace to save match point and another to seal their spot in the final.

A Final of Two Halves

Against Bencic and Cobolli, the Czech duo came out flying. Mensik’s booming serve set the tone, and an ace on set point wrapped up the opener in under 30 minutes. But Bencic and Cobolli — fresh off knocking out Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the semifinals — refused to fade. A return winner from Bencic sparked a break, and a lucky net-cord winner soon leveled the match at one set apiece.

That set the stage for a tense 10-point match tiebreak. Mensik’s serve and net play took over once again, and the Czechs surged to an 8-4 lead before closing it out — fittingly — with one more Mensik ace.

First Grand Slam Title for Both

For Muchova, the win comes just weeks after a heartbreaking three-set loss to fellow Czech Linda Noskova in the Wimbledon singles final. For the 20-year-old Mensik, a French Open singles semifinalist earlier this year, it’s his first Grand Slam trophy of any kind.

“I think in the end, the matching outfits made the difference for us,” Muchova joked afterward, drawing laughs during the trophy ceremony. “I wasn’t really expecting to be standing here tonight. We came out just to have fun and enjoy this mixed doubles event, and now we are standing here.”

Mensik echoed the sentiment: “It’s my first time standing here. I didn’t expect this before the tournament, but it’s such great fun.”

Along with the trophy, the pair split the event’s $1 million prize — a nice bonus for a partnership that started as a favor and ended as a Grand Slam title run.