Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa lifted a trophy together at Flushing Meadows, winning the US Open's Mixed Madness.
The popular couple has attempted to compete together multiple times, but many of their attempts were stopped because of injuries, so they barely got to appear together on a doubles court.
Luckily, they are both healthy ahead of the 2024 US Open, which meant that they could team up for the Mixed Madness event during the 2024 US Open Fan Week.
Organizers of tennis tournaments all over the world want to create the best memories for tennis fans attending, and for those that can't afford the main draw or don't have time to do that, there's the Fan Week, which is often filled with many exciting exhibition matches.
On Tuesday at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, fans got to see a few of those, during an inaugural edition of an event called the 'Mixed Madness', which saw some of the best players from the ATP and WTA Tours team up to compete in a mixed doubles one-set shoot-off format.
In the first semi-final match of the evening, Nick Kyrgios, who returned to the tennis courts for the first time since June 2023, teamed up with his good friend Naomi Osaka, with both players wearing Kobe Bryant's jerseys.
The duo took on all-American team of Amanda Anisimova and Taylor Fritz, who like all of the teams at the Mixed Madness, fought for a $250,000 paycheque given to the event's champions.
To the delight of the crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, it was the home duo that was able to win the first match, beating Osaka and Kyrgios 6-2 to progress into the final of the tournament.
The second semi-final match got probably even more exciting for the crowd at Flushing Meadows. Home talented duo of the 2023 US Open winner, Coco Gauff, and Ben Shelton joined forces to take on tennis' super-couple 'Tsitsidosa' of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa.
Tsitsipas' and Badosa's chemistry was palpable on the tennis court, as they were able to beat the American duo 6-4, denying the home crowd an all-American final at the Mixed Madness.
In the final match, it was against Badosa and Tsitsipas who proved better than their opponents, beating Anisimova and Fritz 6-3 to win the 2024 US Open Mixed Madness trophy.
After their triumph, the couple shared exciting news for the home crowd, announcing that they will be playing in the mixed doubles draw at the 2024 US Open together. For Tsitsipas, it was great fun on the court, calling it a 'cool date night' with his girlfriend Badosa.
"One of the coolest date nights I could’ve asked for. I'm super grateful we were able to produce some good tennis in combination with having fun and getting to share that with that special person."
Despite losing in the final, Anisimova was also very happy about how the event went, as she loves competing at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, and given her recent form, she might experience it again during the US Open.
"I’m so happy I got to perform on this court, it’s my favorite court of any tournament. It was a great environment and I had fun tonight."
The night was not only about tennis and fun, but also about charity, as part of the ticket sales will go to the USTA Foundation, which is trying to help children in the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network.
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