While the grass court season is in full swing, the US Open too has started its promotions and marketing to host a terrific tournament this year. Just a week before the main event of the US Open, the organisers have scheduled a special mixed doubles tournament. There are 4 teams who have been confirmed for the event and one of them is that of Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff.
Shelton took to his Instagram story and shared about this exciting event to take place on August 20. The story had a post from the US Open, which announced that the mixed doubles tournament will be part of their ‘Fan Week’. The event will be presented by the IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Since August 20 is a Tuesday, this is what Ben Shelton wrote in his Instagram story. -‘Tuesday is gonna be madness!.
Shelton and Gauff in one team in the United States, this will be something! pic.twitter.com/p1idcfkuZD
— Wide World of Tennis (@tennisfan_dkr) June 18, 2024
Shelton is more excited about this event than ever. Especially because his partner is Coco Gauff, a dear friend of Shelton. The other mixed doubles partners are Nick Kyrgios-Naomi Osaka, Paula Badosa-Stefanos Tsitsipas and Taylor Fritz -Aryna Sabalenka.
With this star-studded lineup, some might believe that the US Open organisers have done enough promotions for their event. This is true since they have begun selling tickets for a lot of their events too.
The strategic pairing of players is also helping them selling tickets. Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff were rumored to be dating for a long time until Shelton put those rumors to rest by calling Gauff his ‘sister’. They are instead extremely solid friends and always have each other’s backs.
Gauff often comments on Shelton’s posts on Instagram and overall encourages him for bigger achievements. Be it Shelton’s induction into the Rolex family or his unique outfit for the French Open, Coco Gauff has always expressed her excitement for it. She seems to be his biggest supporter.
The other pairs of players also have interesting connections to each other.
Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff Will Face Against Other Iconic Tennis Pairs
One of the biggest mixed doubles clashes in the August 20 event will be Ben Shelton-Coco Gauff vs Nick Kyrgios-Naomi Osaka. This will be Kyrgios’ return to playing tennis, even if it’s for a fan week and tennis lovers will be excited to see him. What’s more, is that many fans would be delighted to see Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka play together.
Just like Shelton and Gauff, Kyrgios and Osaka too share a close bond. It further blossomed with their business partnership. Kyrgios’ podcast ‘Good Trouble With Nick Kyrgios’ is produced by the Naomi Osaka-backed company, Hana Kuma. As for the match-up between the two pairs, they both pack a punch.
Both Shelton and Kyrgios are big servers. While one is an up-and-rising US men’s tennis player, the other is an extremely experienced player who has competed with some of the best in the game. The US fans will particularly love it since it will represent a rivalry between older legends and rising talent. Gauff and Shelton will have the advantage in terms of popularity.
Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka playing against each other in doubles would be something to watch out for. Gauff is the player who has overshadowed Osaka in the last 2 years after winning the US Open women’s singles title. Osaka will be one of the challengers who will try and stop Gauff from defending her 2023 singles title, so they could get a sniff of each other before the main event in what could be a great rivalry going ahead.
