There was a learning curve, this week, for fans at the US Open’s new mixed doubles format.

On Wednesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, a group of onlookers was heard trying to comprehend the new match format. The matches had sets that ended after four games before reaching the finals.

The usual background chatter in the venue (at least before the final match) seemed out of place for the final rounds of the tournament, which Jack Draper had referred to as an ‘exhibition’ the previous evening.

By the conclusion of the evening, defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori triumphed 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 (tiebreak) against Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud. With a star-studded crowd present, fans filled the stands at Ashe, making it likely that the Open’s organizers deemed this shortened, controversial format a success.

Despite several notable withdrawals, such as Jannik Sinner, Emma Navarro, Tommy Paul, and Paula Badosa, which disrupted the lead-up to the $1 million tournament, the final’s atmosphere was electric.

Sara Errani  and Andrea Vavassori retained their mixed doubles title in the new-look format

Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud made the final before losing to the doubles specialist pair

There was an A-list presence on Wednesday as well as Anna Wintour was in attendance

While fans did not have to purchase tickets to watch the mixed doubles matches on Tuesday and Wednesday, they arrived in droves, contributing financially to the tournament through merchandise, food, and the signature honeydeuce drinks, all while showing immense enthusiasm from the stands during the competition’s critical moments.

The event even featured some high-profile attendees on Wednesday. ‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anna Wintour appeared on the jumbotron, while tennis legend Billie Jean King made an appearance on the court before the final match.

US Open organizers, ultimately, made a calculated bet: move this competition up to qualifying week, court stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu to play, and attract attention like which mixed doubles have never gotten before in New York.

They were right, though that doesn’t mean there wasn’t blowback, or that those stars actually fared all that well on the court.

Just one doubles specialist pairing, Errani and Vavassori, were included out of 16 teams as the rest of the tournament was mostly made up of singles stars. In fact, half of the entrants were included on the basis of their combined singles rankings. But it was them who emerged victorious from a field which also included Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and more.

‘This one is for all the doubles players that couldn’t play this tournament,’ Errani said on the court after winning the title. ‘This one is for them’

If doubles specialists understandably didn’t like what had happened to one of the major events on their calendar, the singles stars, at least, couldn’t be accused of treating it frivolously as the final two rounds were contested on Wednesday.

Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula’s run came to end on Tuesday night in the semifinals

Christian Harrison and Danielle Collins also exited in the semis following their last-minute entry into the tournament

‘Exhibition’ be damned, Ruud and Swiatek actually challenged a point during what turned out to be a highly dramatic comeback win over Draper and Jessica Pegula in the semis, while Swiatek called her winner in that match’s third-set tiebreak the ‘most important volley of my life’ on court afterwards.

‘Yeah, it ain’t an exhibition,’ Draper said afterwards as he walked back his remarks from a night earlier.

Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison’s box of family and friends, too, were certainly invested in the action as they got on their feet during the pair’s semifinal loss to Errani and Vavassori.

If there was a lack of intensity in the arena at times, the crowd certainly tensed up during the big moments. An electrifying break point rally won by Vavassori and Errani in the second set of their semifinal was met a proper eruption from the crowd, and a truly delighted Vavassori flexed in celebration himself. Vavassori was so excited after winning the final that he picked Errani up in his arms.

Things quieted down a bit during the final as some shushes emanated from the crowd. This was a Grand Slam final, after all, even if it wouldn’t result in any singles points for Swiatek or Ruud.

Ultimately, the Italians held their nerve in a deciding tiebreak as Open organizers got perhaps the best of both worlds: the best team winning, and the stands filled.

There could be tweaks, but they’d be silly to fully ditch this format in the years to come.