Nine of the world’s top-10 men and nine of the top-10 women have officially entered into the U.S. Open’s revamped mixed doubles event, tournament organizers said on Tuesday, with former singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu teaming up.

Emma Raducanu will team up with French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in the mixed doubles at the US Open, with a prize of $1 million (£741,000) on offer for the winners. The new doubles team – who can expect to be given a portmanteau nickname of either “Alcaranu” or “Raducaraz” – are one of several eye-catching partnerships set to make their debuts in New York in August.

On the sidelines of HSBC Championships, an interesting development took place as Alcaraz approached Raducanu with a special request.