Farah and Cabal back to defend US Open doubles crown
Defending champions Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal, the ATP's top-ranked doubles players, head the list of US Open men's doubles entries announced Wednesday by the US Tennis Association.
Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Cabal, left, and Robert Farah will defend their US Open men’s doubles title next month at Flushing Meadows, the US Tennis Association announced Wednesday. AFP/File/Juan BARRETO
World doubles number one Farah won the 2019 US Open and Wimbledon titles plus 15 ATP crowns with second-ranked Colombian compatriot Cabal.
Next is the duo of Brazil’s Marcelo Melo and Lukasz Kubot of Poland, who share fifth in the doubles ratings, followed by American Rajeev Ram and Britain’s Joe Salisbury, the reigning Australian Open champions.
Absent from the women’s side is the reigning Wimbledon champion duo and 2020 Australian Open runner-up pairing of Taiwan’s world doubles number one Hsieh Su-wei and second-ranked Barbora Strykova of the Czech Republic.
France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Hungary’s Timea Babos are the highest-ranked women’s pairing entered at seventh.
Defending champions Elise Mertens of Belgium and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus are ranked 11th, second-best among entries.
Each draw this year is for 32 teams, half as large as past years, with doubles play starting on September 2, two days after main draw singles play begins.
Each field had four wildcard entries, including Kim Clijsters and Hailey Baptiste on the women’s side and Ryan and Christian Harrison on the men’s side.
