Sabalenka, Djokovic Fall in Mixed Doubles

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic are out of US Open mixed doubles. The No. 1 seeds fell 1-4, 4-2, 10-2 to Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten on Tuesday in the first round, the Associated Press reported on ESPN and ABC News. They took the first set in 12 minutes, then lost the next two. Siniakova, the women's doubles world No. 1, closed it with an ace out wide while serving to Djokovic. "Kat acing Novak on match point was pretty fun," Patten said.

The pairing had the lowest combined singles ranking in the 16-team field. That is why they were seeded first. It is not why they were favorites. Patten is the men's doubles No. 1. Siniakova is the women's doubles No. 1. AP wrote that the loss was far from an upset. Yahoo Sports sequenced the same score: 4-1 first set for the stars, 4-2 second for the doubles specialists, then a 10-2 match tiebreak.

Sabalenka, Djokovic mixed doubles: 12 minutes, then the slide

The format is short on purpose. First to four games, no-ad, match tiebreak to 10 if split. The USTA rebuilt mixed last year to get singles names in before the main draw, AP recapped, with a $1 million prize for the winning team. Sabalenka is the two-time defending women's singles champion here. Djokovic has 24 Grand Slam singles titles. They stormed the first set, got an early break in the second, and still could not hold the tape. Doubles footwork showed up when the set was on the line.

Patten and Siniakova turned straight around for a quarterfinal against Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils. That married pair had just routed Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-1, 4-1, AP had. Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik edged Kristina Mladenovic and Marcelo Arevalo 4-1, 2-4, 10-7. Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul beat Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien 5-3, 4-2 and wait in the other quarter. The stars' day is over. The doubles No. 1s are still in it.

What the first-round wipe means for the rest of the draw

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz were still due later Tuesday against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool. That match is the other celebrity tape. This one already has a result. Iga Swiatek pulled out of mixed on Monday. Sabalenka and Djokovic stayed in and still lasted one round. They now turn to singles. Mixed is a two-day sprint. They lost the sprint.

CBC and Reuters carried the same 1-4, 4-2, 10-2 line and the ace on match point. The WTA live blog logged Muchova's first match since the Wimbledon final, 52 minutes, same 4-1, 2-4, 10-7. None of that changes the lead. The top seeds are gone before Wednesday's semifinals. Siniakova serving an ace at Djokovic is the clip. The rest is a quarterfinal they now have to play on short rest.

Sabalenka Djokovic mixed doubles FAQ

What was the Sabalenka and Djokovic mixed doubles score? They lost 1-4, 4-2, 10-2 to Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten in the first round on Tuesday, per AP, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, and CBC.

Why were Sabalenka and Djokovic the No. 1 seeds? Lowest combined singles ranking in the 16-team field, AP wrote. Patten and Siniakova are the doubles world No. 1s on the men's and women's tours.

Who do Siniakova and Patten play next? Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals, the same day, AP reported. That pair won their opener 4-1, 4-1.