Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori retained their US Open mixed doubles title on Wednesday, beating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 in the final of the revamped competition.

The Italians pocketed the $1 million (R8.72 crore) prize money after two days of intense work in the 16-team event held for the first time outside the dates of the main tournament, in which singles action begins on Sunday.

The compact format and beefed-up prize money drew a slew of singles stars like six-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek, who partnered Norway’s Ruud — a finalist in men’s singles at Flushing Meadows (2022) — en-route to the summit clash.