JAKUB Mensik and Karolina Muchova coordinated their outfits before playing their first match together in the revamped US Open mixed doubles tournament.
By the end of Wednesday night (Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, PH time), the Czech pair had plenty more to celebrate than their matching pink-and-maroon outfits.
Mensik and Muchova won the mixed doubles title and the $1-million prize, beating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, 10-6, according to an Associated Press (AP) report.
Playing together for the first time, Muchova and Mensik survived match tiebreakers in both of their matches on the second night of the two-day event. Mensik sealed the championship with an ace, capping a strong serving performance that complemented Muchova’s skill at the net.
“I think at the end, really the matching outfit made the difference for us,” Muchova said in the AP report.
The Czech duo nearly did not make it to the final. They erased two match points in the semifinals before edging Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, 5-4 (6), 3-5 (11-9).
Mensik said the victory was especially memorable because he had never played mixed doubles before.
“My first mixed doubles, 100 percent win rate,” he said.
Bencic and Cobolli reached the final after rallying past spouses Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, 4-5 (7), 4-1 (10-5), in the other semifinal.
The final was the only match played under a format resembling a traditional match, with standard sets to six games and a tiebreaker at 6-all. The earlier rounds used sets to four games, with tiebreakers at 4-all.
Muchova said she and Mensik had discussed playing together earlier, but she initially challenged the younger Czech to improve his ranking. Direct entry into the revamped mixed doubles field is based on the players’ combined singles rankings.
Mensik responded by reaching the French Open semifinals, helping secure their place in the draw.
“I put a little pressure on him, but in a fun way. It worked,” Muchova said. “I’m happy we managed and we got in, that we are here now.”
Bencic and Cobolli had earlier eliminated Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. They could not repeat their success in the final.
“This year is already the second final. I never expected in my life to play a Grand Slam,” Cobolli said. “This is mixed but still something that you never forget.”
It was the second year of the new mixed doubles format, which moved the event to the week before the singles main draw in an effort by the U.S. Tennis Association to attract more top singles players.
Several high-profile teams entered, but many were eliminated early, including Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz.
For Mensik and Muchova, however, the tournament ended in a perfect debut and a $1-million payday.
Their biggest decision before the tournament may have been choosing what to wear. Mensik admitted he was not even familiar with the word “maroon” before Muchova suggested their matching colors.
Now, it is a color combination he is unlikely to forget.
“My favorite color right now is pink and maroon, that’s for sure,” Mensik said, according to AP. / LBG
