Style over substance in US Open mixed doubles stunt

Rebooted event revealed the limits of spectacle over sport

- FLO CLIFFORD

“Spectacular awaits” was the tagline adorning every advertising hoarding inside Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong for this week's revamped US Open mixed doubles tournament. The final verdict may be slightly more lukewarm.

Wednesday night’s result was victory for the defending champions and only actual mixed doubles team, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. It was also a win both for doubles specialists, who face an uphill battle even to be taken seriously, and for tennis purists everywhere.

And something of an embarrassment for the US Open, which made a big song and dance of the $1m (£740,000) prize pot in order to attract singles stars, only to see none of its top players take home the cheque in the end. Not that the tournament would admit that this experiment didn’t quite go to plan, of course.

In other ways the event was a roaring success: cheap tickets, headline names, and the novelty factor attracted healthy crowds, with Arthur Ashe packed for the final, and the scheduling meant all eyes were on the event rather than any clashing singles encounters - an important boon for the sport.