Murray, Mattek-Sands retain US Open mixed doubles crown

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US and Jamie Murray of the UK with the US Open trophy after beating Hao-Ching Chan of Taipei and Michael Venus of New Zealand in the mixed doubles final match, 7 September, Flushing, NY, USA – USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK (Reuters): Jamie Murray and Bethanie Mattek-Sands defended their US Open mixed doubles title on Saturday, defeating Taiwan’s Chan Hao-Ching and New Zealand’s Michael Venus in straight sets under sunny skies at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The win burnished Murray’s reputation as one of the world’s leading doubles exponents, as the Briton enjoyed his third consecutive mixed doubles triumph at Flushing Meadows.

An elated Mattek-Sands, who suffered a grisly knee injury at Wimbledon two years ago, celebrated the 6-2, 6-3 win by taking a selfie on the court with Murray, older brother of former world number one Andy who also won in 2017 with Martina Hingis. “We have a lot of fun. He keeps me pretty grounded,” said America’s Olympic mixed doubles champion Mattek-Sands, who added that she was happy to be back on the court after undergoing more knee surgery in March.

“It’s about choosing your mentality, choosing your attitude,” added the 34-year-old, after annexing her ninth Grand Slam doubles title.

The match began with routine holds but quickly pivoted in favour of the holders, who played a clean match with just 11 unforced errors while firing off 23 winners.