NEW YORK -- Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils have both gone far but never all the way to the US Open title. Maybe the married couple can finally win a trophy together.
The spouses made quite a pair on the court Tuesday, becoming the first team into the mixed doubles semifinals by edging Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten 5-4 (6), 4-5 (3) (10-8).
In Monfils' final Grand Slam tournament before retiring, he and Svitolina need two wins Wednesday night to earn $1 million.
"Happy wife, happy life," Monfils said in their postmatch interview after a kiss and hug on the court following match point.
Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz started their first-round match, Williams' first at the US Open since 2022, just as the two-time defending champions were eliminated. Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev saved a match point and outlasted Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori 1-4, 4-1 (11-9).
The US Open tinkered with the format of the tournament this year to allow more doubles specialists back in, but it was the singles players who had the upper hand throughout much of the day.
Monfils, who will turn 40 on Sept. 1, reached the US Open semifinals in 2016. Svitolina, who is eight years younger, got to the final four in Flushing Meadows in 2019.
Now it's another semifinal -- and an unlikely one -- after they outlasted a team featuring the No.-1 ranked players in men's and women's doubles.
Monfils, who is from France, was given a wild card into the singles tournament. He and Svitolina, who is from Ukraine, were also given wild cards to compete in mixed. They were married in 2021, and daughter Skaï was born the next year.
Because they were unsure at first they would be in the field in New York, Svitolina said they entered with no expectations, having not even worked on their tactics until Monday.
"I mean, we practice quite a lot together back at home or on the tournaments. Only yesterday we worked on few things for doubles," Svitolina said.
"When we warmed up this morning, yeah, I told my coach it would be amazing if we can win just few games."
Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik also reached the semifinals with a 4-1, 5-3 victory over American pair Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul.
Earlier, Siniakova and Patten ousted Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic 1-4, 4-2 (10-2) in the first round. Siniakova ended the match with an ace while serving to Djokovic.