“Happy Wife, Happy Life!”: Elina & Gael Monfils Celebrate US Open Mixed Doubles Semifinal Run

New Delhi, August 26: Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils have both gone far but never made the cut for the final four of the US Open. However, the married couple has changed the script in this year's US Open. But the spouses made quite an impact against Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Gael and Elina edged past their opponents 5-4 (6), 4-5 (3) (10-8).

The winning team will earn $1 million, which will be quite a hefty retirement gift for Gael, who is playing in his final US Open before he steps onto the sidelines. "Happy wife, happy life," the smiling Monfils said in the post-match interview.

From Wild Card Entry To Semifinals

Frenchman Gael Monfils received a wild card for the singles draw, while he and Ukraine's Elina Svitolina were handed a wild card to compete in the mixed doubles. The pair, who married in 2021, welcomed their daughter, Skaï, the following year.

With their place in the New York field uncertain initially, Svitolina said they entered the mixed doubles competition without setting any particular expectations. The couple had also done little specific preparation for the event, only beginning to work on their doubles tactics on Monday. "I mean, we practice quite a lot together back at home or at tournaments. Only yesterday we worked on a few things for doubles," Svitolina said.

Svitolina and Monfils routed Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-1, 4-1 in their opening match. Muchova and Mensik edged Kristina Mladenovic and Marcelo Arevalo 4-1, 2-4 (10-7) in their opener.

US Open 2026: A Complete Tournament Overhaul

The U.S. Open overhauled its doubles format last year as part of an effort to attract more leading singles players to the event. The competition was shifted to a two-day window well ahead of the singles main draw, while a shortened scoring system was introduced to ensure the matches remain quick and place less physical strain on the players.

The first three rounds feature sets played to four games, with a tiebreak at 4-all and a 10-point match tiebreak replacing a traditional third set. Only the final follows the conventional format, with sets played to six games.

"I will say if we play until basically regular rules, until six games, will be much more difficult," Mensik said. Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending U.S. Open women's singles champion, and Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam winner, represent precisely the kind of elite singles talent the U.S. Tennis Association hoped to attract with the revamped format.