“It was a great week.” These were Jannik Sinner’s exact words, despite how unlucky the past few days had been for the Italian tennis star. A quick recap: after a health scare at the Cincinnati Open final—where a “small virus” forced him to call off his match against Carlos Alcaraz after just 23 minutes—the 24-year-old also ended up withdrawing from the US Open mixed doubles tournament. Initially slated to team up with Emma Navarro, Sinner lost that opportunity when Navarro pulled out, eventually leading Katerina Siniakova to step in. In the end, though, the opportunity slipped away entirely for the two.

Of course, Sinner had his reasons for skipping mixed doubles. As far as his fitness goes, he made it clear after his 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 first-round singles win over Vit Kopriva, saying, “I’m healthy again.” Frankly, watching him crack those gritty groundstrokes would have been proof enough. Simply put, he seems to have moved on from missing out on doubles. But what about his would-be partner, Katerina Siniakova?

How does she feel about how it all unfolded—especially after learning that the eventual replacements in the draw were Americans Christian Harrison and Danielle Collins? Well, let’s just say she wasn’t impressed. Speaking to Tenisovysvet, Siniakova voiced her frustration: “I was curious how those two got there as the first alternates, when the rankings were supposed to be based on singles. I think they changed it as they needed to. It was clear to me that they would put Americans there.”

For those unaware, the tournament had earlier revealed that the empty spots of Sinner and Siniakova would go to the pair with the highest combined singles ranking. But later, they clarified that Americans Christian Harrison and Danielle Collins made the cut using a combined singles-or-doubles ranking. And guess the most eyebrow-raising part? Harrison isn’t even ranked in singles, though he sits inside the Top 20 in doubles.

No wonder the Czechia native vocally expressed her discontent over the revamped format, insisting it allegedly favors singles players while ignoring the usual set rules. She urged the organizers to at least combine singles players with doubles specialists, before adding that the format allowing someone to win a Grand Slam trophy in just two days is unfair.

Katerina Siniaková had earlier revealed that she had had to request a wild card entry into the new mixed doubles format alongside Salvadoran star Marcel Arévalo, despite both players holding the world No. 1 ranking in doubles at the time. But the 29-year-old admitted that as soon as the organizers announced the changes, she knew things would get unpredictable.

Siniaková revealed she didn’t even fly in early because she doubted they’d grant the pair a wildcard, only to learn on the Sunday before the tournament that their request had been denied. As far as being replaced by an American pair was concerned, Siniaková had already expected it, acknowledging that once the draw is set, players aren’t allowed to form a new team — a rule long followed in doubles that left no room for adjustment.

Then again, Siniaková was impressed by the support she received from much of the tennis community. She admitted, “I was pleasantly surprised by how much it was discussed and that people were on my side so that I could play,” acknowledging that she had read quite a lot about it in the media.

At last, Siniakova has finally cleared her stance on the mixed doubles incident. Perhaps she can now recalibrate, just like Jannik Sinner did. Not to mention, that’s one thing she needs the most right now, especially after having endured a tough day at the office.

Despite a tough break, Jannik Sinner’s double partner radiates positivity

Ever since her mixed doubles plans with Jannik Sinner fell through, it seems bad luck has continued to shadow Katerina Siniakova—even in singles. Facing Hailey Baptiste in the opening round of the US Open, the Czech star suffered a tough 7-5, 6-3 defeat. The American delivered a solid performance, firing 16 winners and winning 63% of her first-serve points, while Siniaková, despite striking 19 winners of her own, couldn’t turn the match in her favor.

“I’m disappointed that I lost. There were chances. I was close, considering how I don’t feel it here and how I’m not doing well here. My opponent was also struggling. But when you make a lot of mistakes in important moments, it’s hard to win,” said Siniakova, in the aftermath of her defeat. Now the only way she can make up for this tough break is by teaming up with American Taylor Townsend for the opening women’s doubles clash against Indonesia’s Aldila Sutjiadi and Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok.

“We have the highest ambitions. We would like to win here, especially since Taylor is at home,” said Siniaková on behalf of her partner, underlining how last year they fell short in the semifinals after a tough battle. Expressing her regret over that result, she vowed they would work hard match by match and hope to see how things turn out.

Indeed, we are all looking forward to it.