The U.S. Open is taking place, and tennis fans are preparing to see their favorite players. Bethanie Mattek-Sands joins CBS News with more on the tournament.

Queens

The U.S. Open tennis tournament is commencing at Flushing Meadows, with world number ones Arena Sabalenka and Yannick Sinner looking to defend their titles. The event is anticipated to feature strong performances from American players and notable contenders such as Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Jess Pagula.

A new format for the mixed doubles competition will bring additional attention to doubles play, though some top-ranked players were unable to participate due to the draw setup. The tournament is known for its unique energy, especially during night matches, and is expected to attract enthusiastic crowds.

What to expect during the U.S. Open

Well, World's No. 1 Arena Sabalenka and Yannick Sinner are seeking to defend their U.S. Open titles as the final Grand Slam of the 2025 season gets underway at Flushing Meadows this weekend. And for more on this, who better to have join us than nine-time Grand Slam champion Bethany Maddux-Sands. Thank you so much for being here. Great to talk with you. What are you excited to see this year? You know what? I always think there's just an energy coming to New York City. I know all the athletes love staying in the city, coming out to the tournament, those night matches. There's nothing like it in tennis. But I think there's going to be some good first-round matchups. There's a lot of Americans in both draws, so I think it's going to be really great for the fans to come watch. And I want to talk about Coco Gauff because she just fired her coach. What is her form like heading into the Open? Yeah, I actually just ran into her in the locker room last night, and she's actually pretty relaxed right now. She's not one of those players that gets super stressed. She's very close with her family. Obviously, her mom and her dad are usually in the stands and traveling with her, so I feel like it's not going to affect her that much. If she made the call, it was for a reason, and she's still feeling confident. She's playing very well. I want to put you on the spot a little bit. Who is your favorite for the men's and the women's championships? Right off the bat, all right. Well, I think Carlos and Sinner. I mean, really, Yannick, he's just been playing amazing this year. Had a tough match coming into the U.S. Open. Obviously, he had to withdraw in Cincinnati. But Arena, Coco, I think those are going to be your top contenders. Iga's coming in strong. She was actually playing a little mixed doubles the other night. I watched her play the final. She's feeling very confident out here. I feel like when Iga's playing loose and relaxed, she's dangerous. But I'm going to throw Jess Pagula out there, too. I mean, she loves playing in New York. She's obviously been in the finals, made the semis, so she feels really confident here. I also want to ask about this new format for the mixed doubles competition. What's your take on that? I feel like there's two sides of this coin. One, I think it's amazing that we're putting mixed doubles and doubles in general in the spotlight. It's an exciting game. I don't know that a lot of people tune in during the weeks. Obviously, I've played for a long time. I've won U.S. Open mixed. It's amazing. So for me, seeing it out on Arthur Ashe under the lights was great. Obviously, I think a lot of fans, including myself, would have liked to see more doubles players competing in it. You had the number one players not able to get in the draw because of how it was set up with wild cards. But I think it's a great start. If this highlights doubles and just how awesome of a product, tennis product that is, how exciting the game is, I think it's amazing. Too often, we compare singles and doubles, and they're two completely different games. It's a different strategy. You have a partner out there. There's different dynamics. So I think you can make both exciting, and fans can enjoy both. Now, Bethany, as somebody who's played in all of the big tournaments, what is it that's special about the U.S. Open? I think what makes it the most special is the energy. I mean, really, there's an electricity. I even feel it when you arrive in the city. It's just, it's a different feel, even when you're in New York outside of the tournament. But the night matches are amazing. I think it's the crowd. The New York crowd really gets into it. It's just, it's a lot of tennis fans, but it's a lot of sports fans. You know, it's big energy, and I feel like a lot of the American players thrive on that. So, you know, if you're going out there to cheer on your favorite players, it makes a difference if you're loud and rowdy. And I think everyone likes it. The foreigners come in and love it. Bethany, so great to see you. Thanks so much for coming down. We appreciate it. Thank you.

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