Raducanu and Alcaraz sign up as US Open doubles team

Emma Raducanu (right) and Carlos Alcaraz (left) are among 16 pairings on the entry list

British number one Emma Raducanu and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz are one of several eye-catching pairings planning to play the new-look US Open mixed doubles event.

Fellow Briton Jack Draper is set to feature alongside Chinese world number four Zheng Qinwen, with a host of big names - including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Naomi Osaka - also on the entry list.

The US Open mixed doubles will be held as a standalone event on 19-20 August before the hard-court Grand Slam begins on 24 August.

Bringing the mixed doubles forward is a bold and revolutionary move by the United States Tennis Association, which said it hoped would attract more high-profile singles players.

Spanish five-time major champion Alcaraz says he approached Raducanu about teaming up through their agents, adding the 22-year-old Briton needed "time to think a little bit" before agreeing.

"Im super excited about it. I think its going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament," Alcaraz said after his opening win at Queens.

"We will try to win. But obviously its going to be really, really fun."

The 16 pairings announced by the USTA on Tuesday are not guaranteed to play in the event, although it is an indication the players involved are keen on participating.

The entry deadline, by which players must confirm if they will play, is 28 July.

"Ill definitely play," world number four Draper said.

"I think its a good format to get prepared for the US Open and having a shot at playing with another top player."

Sixteen teams have entered the US Open mixed doubles, which will operate as best-of-three-set matches with sets to four games in the earlier rounds.

The final will be a best-of-three-set match to six games, also featuring no-ad scoring and a 10-point match tie-break in lieu of a third set.

When the entry window closes, the top eight teams with the best combined singles ranking will be directly accepted into the draw.

The remaining eight teams will be determined by wildcards.

The initial entry list features:

The entry list was announced by the USTA on Tuesday.

Lew Sherr, the USTAs chief executive, said the tournament was always "confident" of getting the worlds leading players involved.

"Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited," he said.

"It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it."

The plan received strong criticism from some doubles players when it was announced in February.

Italian pair Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who won last years US Open mixed doubles title, are on the entry list, having initially described the decision as a "profound injustice".

Frances Kristina Mladenovic, winner of multiple Slam doubles titles, said the decision was "terribly shocking".