In an event that featured the World No.1, World No.2 and four other Grand Slam champions and finalists, it was two fast-rising, young Americans -- Emma Navarro and Ben Shelton -- who left Tuesday's Eisenhower Cup event with the trophy. 

The now-annual mixed doubles exhibition played on eve of the BNP Paribas Open for charity -- in the innovative Tie Break Tens format, where competitors only player tiebreaks -- was another success on Tuesday night at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which included eight of the top players on the ATP Tour and Hologic WTA Tour.

In addition to Navarro and Shelton, the seven other pairs were: 

  • Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz 
  • Aryna Sabalenka and Taylor Fritz 
  • Caroline Wozniacki and Holger Rune 
  • Maria Sakkari and Andrey Rublev
  • Sloane Stephens and Tommy Paul
  • Zheng Qinwen and Frances Tiafoe 
  • Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas

The two former NCAA college champions -- Navarro at the University of Virgina and Shelton at the University of Florida -- teamed to topple the teams of Sakkari and Rublev, Wozniacki and Rune, and off-court couple Badosa and Tsitsipas in the final in the first-to-10-points short format. They saved a match point in their opening win against Sakkari and Rublev. 

"Whenever you get to play with somebody who hardly misses a ball the whole time we’re out here, it’s pretty cool and makes things a lot more fun," Shelton told Tennis Channel afterwards.

"I think we enjoyed the playing but we also got along well and that makes things easier.”

The compatriots earned the $200,000 in total prize money that comes along with winning the event, and all proceeds from it will be donated to the official charity of the BNP Paribas Open, which supports local charity and grassroots organizations in the area.