As the sun was setting and rain painted the backdrop in Queens, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori entered the Arthur Ashe Stadium to complete their ‘mission’. A mission to defend their US Open Mixed Doubles title, and to dedicate their win to all the doubles players who couldn’t play this tournament. The Italian duo defeated Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in the final to take home the victory. However, even though Errani and Vavassori stood atop the podium, they weren’t really confident about winning or even getting invited to the Flushing Meadows.

During the post-match press conference, the moderator asked the duo about their confidence level regarding the invitation to the Mixed Doubles. Well, Errani wasn’t really certain about getting the invite in the beginning (after the US Open revamped the format). She said, “I was not believing on it. We were waiting. We didn’t know. Was tough. For me was more no than yes.” 

However, Vavassori was of a different opinion. He stated, “Actually, I don’t think if we didn’t do the statement if we would have played this tournament, honestly.” According to him, it was really important for them to play as the previous year’s champions. But unlike his previous stance, Vavassori seemed content after winning the Mixed Doubles. 

In fact, talking about the epic tiebreaker in the final game, Vavassori continued, “If something doesn’t work, like we showed today that it’s working. Like, the people were going crazy. The noise. Also the super tiebreaker, so many good points. I think is something that we are proud to stay here with the trophy.”

However, on the other hand, the Italian duo also showed a bit of disappointment for the ‘reimagination’ of the Mixed Doubles format. As per the new format of the Mixed Doubles, only 16 teams were drawn, and even singles stars were allowed to participate in the games. But that came with a setback. Limited teams and more contestants meant that some doubles veterans were unable to participate in the race for the $1M prize. And that became the motivation for Andrea Vavassori in his 2025 Mixed Doubles quest. 

Andrea Vavassori reveals his unique motivation prior to the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles

Prior to the commencement of the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles, Andrea Vavassori stated, “We also play for all the doubles players who cannot compete at the mixed doubles tournament here. We try to do our best.” Being one of the wildcard entries and last year’s champions, Vavassori and Errani weren’t going to go down so easily. 

Following their initial wins that got them into the semifinals, Vavassori said, “We showed today that doubles is a great product. I think in the future we need more marketing and visibility. I think this product is something that can also work in the future.” He continued, “It was amazing to play on this court with so many people. I have to say thanks from the bottom of my heart for the atmosphere.” 

Vavassori and Errani previously claimed, “We see it as a profound injustice, that disrespect[s] an entire category of players.”

Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori won the U.S. Open mixed doubles — not just for themselves, but probably for every doubles player in the world.