US Open announce last-minute replacement as Jannik Sinner withdraws from mixed doubles event with illness

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Jannik Sinner’s US Open preparations stalled on Monday evening, as he struggled with illness in Cincinnati.

Looking to win his first Masters 1000 title of the season, Sinner took on his greatest rival, Carlos Alcaraz, in the Cincinnati Open final.

Unfortunately for the Italian, his title bid was short-lived, as Sinner retired down 0-5 in the final, due to illness.

Having originally planned to compete in the revamped US Open mixed doubles event alongside Katerina Siniakova, Sinner was forced to withdraw, as he now looks to recover in time for the singles tournament.

In the aftermath of Sinner’s withdrawal, US Open organizers have drafted in a last-minute replacement.

US Open announce Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison as replacements

Taking Sinner and Siniakova’s place in the draw, Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison will now take aim at the US Open mixed doubles title.

Collins is one of the most popular players on tour and is a former Grand Slam finalist, losing out to Ashleigh Barty in Melbourne three years ago.

In doubles, she’s won just one career title, at the 2023 Charleston Open, when she and partner Desirae Krawczyk won 14-12 in a match tiebreaker.

Harrison, on the other hand, is a doubles specialist and has previously reached the semifinals of the US Open mixed doubles event, back in its more traditional format.

The 31-year-old has won two ATP doubles titles in 2025 with his partner Evan King, in Dallas and Acapulco.

He’d surely love nothing more than to add a third to his resume alongside Collins and bring home the $1 million prize.

Can Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison make the most of their call-up and win the US Open?

The late additions to the draw will have to get ready quickly, as they’re set to play their first-round match in a few hours.

Collins and Harrison will begin their campaign against the duo of Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic, a team that have known they’ll be playing together for several months.

If they can make their way past the German/Swiss pairing, they’ll soon find themselves playing some of their fellow Americans.

Either Ben Shelton/Taylor Townsend or Holger Rune/Amanda Anisimova would await Collins and Harrison in the quarterfinals.

They could then meet a whole host of teams in the semifinals and final on Wednesday, including the defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.

It’s tough to say whether Collins and Harrison can make the most of the opportunity and go all the way in New York, but it will certainly be interesting to see.

Their inclusion in the tournament is definitely welcome, although some fans have questioned why Siniakova wasn’t given another opportunity once Sinner withdrew.

Tennis fans are ‘really disappointed’ for Katerina Siniakova

Siniakova, one of the best doubles players in the women’s game, had originally put her name forward to compete in the US Open mixed doubles tournament alongside El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo.

When the pair weren’t selected for a wild card, it seemed like her chances of competing were over, until Sinner’s partner, Emma Navarro, pulled out of the event.

Chosen as her replacement, Siniakova was back in the competition and looked to be a real contender, playing with the world number one.

However, when Sinner withdrew, she wasn’t given a new partner, but instead was replaced by the duo of Collins and Harrison.

Reacting to the decision made by tournament organizers, fans expressed their outrage on X.

“So happy to see everyone on the timeline go to bat for [Katerina] Siniakova and the way she was robbed by the US Open,” said one fan.

“I can’t believe this is how they treat their former champions.”

“Siniakova deserves better,” added another.

“Glad [Jannik] Sinner is taking care of himself, but really disappointed for Siniakova,” said one fan.

Having won ten Grand Slam doubles titles and a mixed doubles title at Wimbledon earlier this year, Siniakova would have been one of the more experienced players in the draw.

It’s certainly an interesting choice to leave her out, but only time will tell how she will react to the snub.