Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik began the week without the guarantee of direct entry and ended Wednesday night, August 26, as the 2026 US Open mixed doubles champions. The Czech pair, awarded a wild card, turned a partnership designed to provide match play before singles into the first Grand Slam title of either player’s career.
In the final inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Muchova and Mensik defeated Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6–3, 1–6, [10–6]. An early break shaped the opening set; the second belonged to their opponents. In the match tiebreak, the Czechs moved ahead from 1–1 and never surrendered control.
The championship point captured the partnership’s identity. After Muchova supplied variety, net awareness and precision throughout the event, Mensik ended the final with an ace on their third championship point. The pair combined for 13 aces across the semifinal and final.
The trophy had nearly slipped away only hours earlier. Against Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev in the semifinal, Muchova and Mensik won 5–4(6), 3–5, [11–9]. They trailed 9–7 in the match tiebreak, saved two match points and won the next four points. That escape sent them back onto the same court later that night for the final.
Their route had already tested them against contrasting styles. In the first round, they beat doubles specialists Kristina Mladenovic and Marcelo Arevalo, owners of 13 combined Grand Slam titles, 4–1, 2–4, [10–7]. They then defeated Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul 4–1, 5–3 before surviving Andreeva and Rublev.
The format gave the tournament its own rhythm. The three rounds before the final used four-game sets, while the championship match returned to traditional six-game sets and retained a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a third set. Across their four matches, Muchova and Mensik won 85% of their first-serve points.
For Muchova, the title closes a sequence of near misses on the sport’s biggest stages. Runner-up at Roland Garros in 2023 and at Wimbledon last month, she finally leaves a major with the trophy — even if it came in a different discipline from the one in which she built her reputation. It also extends a season in which she won Doha and Bad Homburg.
Mensik, 20, adds a first major to his 2025 Miami title and this year’s Roland Garros semifinal. His serve decided the tightest points in New York, but this was not a one-player show: Muchova’s ability to change height, pace and court position gave the team the balance their opponents could not match at the finish.
The redesigned mixed doubles event continues to inspire debate because it is staged before the main draw and leans heavily on singles stars. The Czech finish supplied its own sporting case: a team with little shared experience navigated four matches, two match points and a change of format to earn the first Grand Slam title of either player’s career.
During the ceremony, Muchova joked that their matching outfits had made the difference. She later admitted the achievement had not fully sunk in. Mensik returned to the beginning of the story: they entered to have fun and get matches before singles. The improvisation lasted two days; the title will last forever.
Sources consulted: US Open, WTA and ATP Tour. Reporting updated August 27, 2026.