Tennis fans usually treat the mixed doubles French Open as a pleasant side dish. A bit of fun between the main courses of the singles draws. But if you were watching the red clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier in June 2025, you saw something much more significant than an exhibition.
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori didn't just win a title. They essentially rewrote the modern script for how Italians perform in Paris.
By taking down Taylor Townsend and Evan King 6-4, 6-2 in the final, they secured the first mixed doubles crown for Italy at Roland Garros since Nicola Pietrangeli back in 1958. That is nearly seven decades of waiting. Honestly, the way they did it—without dropping a single set the entire tournament—was borderline disrespectful to the rest of the field.
The Chaos of the Clay
Mixed doubles is famously volatile. You have singles stars pairing up on a whim, seasoned doubles specialists trying to find rhythm with new partners, and a scoring system that includes a match tie-break instead of a third set (though not in the final). It’s basically organized chaos.
Most people think these teams are just thrown together at the last minute over a coffee in the player lounge. Sometimes that's true. But for Errani and Vavassori, this was a calculated partnership. They already had a US Open title under their belts from 2024. They aren't just colleagues; they’re best friends.
That chemistry matters. Especially on clay.
Clay court tennis is about geometry and patience. You can't just blast through people like you can on the grass at Wimbledon. In the 2025 mixed doubles French Open, we saw the "traditional" powers struggle. Defending champions Laura Siegemund and Édouard Roger-Vasselin? Gone in the quarterfinals. Mate Pavić, who was trying to complete a career Grand Slam in mixed? Knocked out in the quarters too.
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It turns out that knowing exactly where your partner is going to move before they even do it is the ultimate "cheat code" on the dirt.
Why the Prize Money Still Sparks Debate
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the paycheck.
For 2025, the French Open total prize pool hit over €56 million. It sounds like a lot. It is a lot. But the distribution for mixed doubles is, frankly, a pittance compared to the singles stars.
The mixed doubles winners split €122,000.
Think about that. The singles winner takes home €2.55 million. The mixed doubles champions, who provide some of the most entertaining and tactical tennis of the fortnight, share a check that is roughly 5% of what a singles champion makes.
- Mixed Winners: €122,000 (split)
- Mixed Runners-up: €61,000 (split)
- Mixed Semifinalists: €31,000 (split)
This creates a weird dynamic. It’s why you don’t see Iga Swiatek or Carlos Alcaraz entering the mixed draw every year. The risk of injury or fatigue simply doesn't outweigh the financial reward. The mixed doubles French Open remains a specialist's game, or a labor of love for veterans like the 38-year-old Errani.
The Legends and the "Real" History
If you look at the trophy, the Coupe Marcel Bernard, you see names that define the sport. But most casual fans miss the nuances of who actually dominates here.
Margaret Court holds the record with four titles. Ken Fletcher and Jean-Claude Barclay each have three on the men's side. But the real "queen" of the early era was Suzanne Lenglen. She won seven titles between 1914 and 1926. People forget that back then, the mixed event was just as prestigious as the singles.
In the modern "Open Era," it has become a bit of a playground for those with incredible hands at the net. You see players like Leander Paes, Martina Navratilova, and more recently, Desirae Krawczyk finding success because they understand the unique angles of the mixed game.
Krawczyk and Neal Skupski have been the "team to beat" for years, but even they couldn't stop the Italian momentum in 2025. It’s a reminder that on any given day in Paris, a team that "clicks" can steamroll through a draw of individual giants.
Tactical Reality: Man vs. Woman?
There is a common misconception that mixed doubles is just about the men serves-botting the women. That is a massive oversimplification.
In the 2025 final, Taylor Townsend was arguably the most powerful player on the court. Her ability to hold serve and dictate at the net is why she and Evan King made it to the final. The real strategy at the professional level isn't about "targeting" the woman; it’s about neutralizing the man's power so the woman can finish the point.
Errani is a master of this. She doesn't have a 120mph serve. She doesn't need one. Her kick serve on clay bounces high and awkwardly, forcing opponents into uncomfortable positions. Vavassori then mops up at the net. It’s a classic "grinder and finisher" setup.
What to Watch for Next Year
If you're looking to follow the mixed doubles French Open more closely in the future, don't just look at the seeds. The seeds in mixed are often based on individual doubles rankings, which don't always translate to a great partnership.
Instead, look for these three things:
- Surface Specialists: If a player has reached a singles final in Paris (like Errani did in 2012), their "clay IQ" is significantly higher than a hard-court power hitter.
- Olympic Hangover: In years following an Olympic cycle, you often see national pairings (like the Italians) stay together to build chemistry for international play.
- The "No-Ad" Factor: Mixed doubles uses no-ad scoring. Every deuce is a sudden-death point. Teams that handle pressure well in these "golden points" usually go deep.
The 2025 tournament proved that the mixed game isn't just a sideshow. It’s a high-stakes tactical battle where history is still being made. Vavassori and Errani proved that if you have the right partner and enough grit, you can end a 67-year drought and dominate the most demanding surface in the world.
To stay ahead of the curve for the next tournament, start tracking the doubles results during the European clay-court swing in Madrid and Rome. Teams that perform well in those Masters 1000 events are almost always the ones standing deep in the second week at Roland Garros. Keep an eye on the "protected ranking" entries as well; veteran players returning from injury often use the mixed draw as their springboard back into top-flight competition.