Sem Verbeek and Katerina Siniakova triumphed over Joe Salisbury and Luisa Stefani in the Wimbledon mixed doubles final.
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Wimbledon mixed doubles champion Sem Verbeek has voiced his disappointment with a format change at the US Open, lamenting that he and partner Katerina Siniakova will be unable to compete together.
The duo secured victory against Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani with a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3) win in the final on Centre Court on Thursday.
The US Open will now host its mixed doubles competition as a standalone event prior to the main Slam tournament, starting this year, in a bid to attract high-profile singles players.
Several notable partnerships have been announced for the revamped event, including British number one Emma Raducanu joining forces with two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.
However, this change will exclude the majority of doubles specialists from participating in the mixed competition in New York.
“It’s a shame they decided to do it,” Czech Siniakova, the world number one in women’s doubles, told BBC Sport.
“I think it’s a marketing step, but they are taking [away the] chance of doubles players.”
Dutchman Verbeek concurred, adding: “As two athletes that would love to play it, it’s a shame to obviously know that we can’t.
“I’m not going to actively root against it for it not to be a success. The positive I can think of is that there’s going to be more people that can see the top single stars earlier in the tournament when they are maybe a bit more accessible to the public.
“But as a doubles athlete, my heart is bleeding.”
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Doubles champion Verbeek leads centre court in birthday sing along
Britain’s Salisbury was denied a maiden Wimbledon title as he and Brazilian partner Stefani were defeated on a blustery Centre Court.
This result means Wimbledon remains the only title missing from Salisbury’s decorated career.
The 33-year-old has now reached the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon twice, previously doing so alongside compatriot Harriet Dart in 2021, experiencing defeat on both occasions.
After a closely contested opening set where the duos remained inseparable, Verbeek and Siniakova quickly established a 5-1 lead in the tie-break.
Two impressive rallies offered Salisbury and Stefani a glimmer of hope, but the deficit proved too great, and Stefani’s volley landed long, handing Verbeek and Siniakova the first set.
A break of serve for each team in the second set set the stage for another tie-break, where Siniakova showcased her prowess as a 10-time major doubles champion with astute net play and confident volleys.
The 29-year-old’s overhead smash secured victory for the pair, and Verbeek lifted his partner in celebration before leading the crowd in singing ‘happy birthday’ to his father.
This marks a maiden major title for Verbeek and a first Grand Slam mixed doubles triumph for Siniakova.
Salisbury has previously won the French and US Opens in mixed doubles alongside American Desirae Krawczyk and US and Australian titles in the men’s doubles with American Rajeev Ram.
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