Emma Raducanu turned heads when she teamed up with Elena Rybakina for doubles at the Citi Open.
The 2021 U.S. Open champion and the 2022 Wimbledon victor, both having faced their share of ups and downs post-titles, joined forces in Washington. They were forced to play in blistering heat in the United States, with Raducanu making her feelings clear on the playing conditions.
The pair, nicknamed ER-squared, cruised into the semifinals after securing two victories, first against Olivia Nicholls and Tereza Mihalikova, followed by a win over Giuliana Olmos and Aldila Sutjiadi, without dropping a set.
However, their streak came to an abrupt halt in the final four when they faced Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai, as Raducanu fell ill and they had to retire early in the first set. Despite the setback, this may not be the last we see of Raducanu and Rybakina as a team, with the Wimbledon champion speaking highly of her partner.
“Yeah, I think she’s really nice girl. It was a lot of fun,” Rybakina commented on Raducanu during her press conference. “Of course [it was a] tough match, but I’m happy that I played doubles, and I think it’s good as a practice, preparation for singles. So it was fun, and yeah, hopefully we can play a bit more in the future too.”
This dynamic duo was a long time in the making, as Raducanu disclosed that they had been planning to join forces right after Rybakina clinched the Wimbledon title by defeating Ons Jabeur in the 2022 showdown.
“How it came about, so in 2022 in Cincinnati, me and Elena were going to play doubles together, and that fell through,” the world No. 46 explained.
“Then here, when I was in D.C., I thought it would be a good idea to play doubles, get some extra matches in these conditions. It’s very different. And also the fact we were able to play before singles, I think that really helped.
“So, yeah, she was walking off the practice court, and I was on the practice court, and I was just, like, okay, I’ll give it a shot. I wasn’t really bothered if she said no. I asked her, and she was, like, Yeah, sure. That’s how it came about.”
The duo has also made impressive strides in their respective singles tournaments, with Raducanu choosing to double down on both fronts in the 2025 editions to boost her physical game.
She teamed up with Britain’s top player Katie Boulter at Queen’s, then put up a valiant fight at Wimbledon, pushing Aryna Sabalenka to the brink in a promising loss, before heading to North America to join forces with Rybakina – a partnership that might just have a future.