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Welcome to the U.S. Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.
On day eleven of the U.S. Open 2024, a mixed doubles triumph and tribute, and an illustration of turning points in tennis.
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Sara Errani can do it in mixed doubles too
Olympic gold with Jasmine Paolini. A French Open final with the same player. And now, a mixed doubles title. Sara Errani is back on the doubles scene in 2024.
That Roland Garros final was Errani’s first Grand Slam final in just under ten years, going back to Wimbledon in 2014, where she won the title with Roberta Vinci. That Wimbledon final was Errani’s eighth Grand Slam final in a three-year period in which she and Vinci won five Grand Slam titles, including the U.S. Open in 2012.
Back in New York, this time with Andrea Vavassori in the mixed doubles, the Italian duo faced Taylor Townsend and Donald Young, in Young’s last tournament before retirement. Townsend was coming off the back of winning the Wimbledon title in women’s doubles. But Errani and Vavassori triumphed, recovering from being broken at 6-5 on Errani’s serve to sweep the tiebreak 7-0, before closing…
