When one door closes, another opens—especially in New York! World No.1 Jannik Sinner couldn’t finish his dazzling Cincinnati run or defend his title on Monday. Illness got the best of him in the final against Carlos Alcaraz. Down 0-5, he retired after just 23 minutes, leaving with an apology to fans. The next day, he was set for the US Open mixed doubles, but this challenge was one step too steep for the Italian. Meanwhile, Danielle Collins may have gained the most from this turn of events!
On Tuesday, mixed doubles in New York was set to launch with Sinner teaming up with Katerina Siniakova against Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic. But Sinner, still feeling unwell and needing time to recover, had to pull out. His withdrawal opened the door for Collins and Christian Harrison to take their place!
Was it really a surprise? On Monday in Cincinnati, Sinner barely settled in before things unraveled. Down 0-5 and battling the brutal 30-degree heat, he called the medics and soon retired, handing Alcaraz his maiden Cincinnati trophy. It stung, but Sinner’s heart went out to his supporters. “Usually I start with the opponent but today I have to start with you guys. I’m super, super sorry to disappoint you. From yesterday I didn’t feel great. I thought I would improve during the night. It came up worse. I tried to come out and make it at least a small match but I couldn’t handle more,” he said to his fans.
Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison of the USA replace Siniakova and Sinner, who withdrew at final hour today, in the final mixed doubles draw at the #USOpen. pic.twitter.com/eRbkgk2les
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) August 19, 2025
Shifting from that to New York—no easy feat. The mixed doubles with Siniakova had everyone buzzing, with a cool $1 million prize on the line. The anticipation grew after a twist last week, when Jannik Sinner’s previous partner Emma Navarro pulled out to play in Monterrey. That made his pair with the former doubles World No.1 look even more exciting. The stage was set for big names and high stakes.
Danielle Collins, meanwhile, could bring serious fire to mixed doubles with Harrison. She grabbed her first doubles title at the 2023 Charleston Open with Desirae Krawczyk and powered into the Wimbledon semifinals in 2022. Harrison’s got doubles game too—a US Open mixed doubles semifinalist from the old format, and winner of two ATP doubles titles in 2025 with Evan King in Dallas and Acapulco. Expect this duo to bring some spicy energy and shake things up!
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