Emma Raducanu recently disclosed how she stumbled into pairing up with Elena Rybakina at the 2025 Citi DC Open. The 2021 US Open winner revealed how a chance encounter on the practice courts in Washington, D.C., resulted in her doubles pairing with the 2022 Wimbledon champion.

Emma Raducanu Reveals Casual Conversation That Led to Surprise Doubles Pairing With Elena Rybakina

For Raducanu, the ongoing tournament in the U.S. capital marks her third appearance at the WTA 500 event, and she has once again delivered strong results. Following a dramatic 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over seventh seed Marta Kostyuk in a tight opener, the Brit beat four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 to secure her third consecutive quarterfinal appearance in Washington. Raducanu also stepped in for doubles duty, pairing up with World No. 12 Rybakina.

Their partnership wasn’t part of a long-term strategy or pre-planned tactic. Instead, it came together casually on the practice courts at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. In her post-match press conference, Raducanu revealed the history behind the team-up, remembering how the idea had first come about years prior.

“So in 2022 in Cincinnati, me and Elena were going to play doubles together, and that fell through,” Raducanu said. “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.”

Raducanu went on to explain the randomness of the moment that resulted in their current streak: “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.”

In their doubles debut, Raducanu and Rybakina stunned fourth seeds Tereza Mihalíková and Olivia Nicholls. They then beat Giuliana Olmos and Aldila Sutjiadi in straight sets to reach the semifinals, where they will play second seeds Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai.

ER2 have done it again 🤗

Elena Rybakina and @EmmaRaducanu defeat Olmos/Sutjiadi 7-6(6), 6-4 to book a spot in the final four.#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/tqMRR3Eyo8

— wta (@WTA) July 24, 2025

Following Rybakina and Raducanu’s Progress in Washington

Rybakina, who made her Washington debut, has made herself heard in the singles draw as well. After having a first-round bye, the third seed defeated Victoria Mboko in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals. There, she will meet fifth seed Magdalena Fręch in what will be the third of their career clash on the WTA Tour. Rybakina holds a 2-0 head-to-head advantage.

Meanwhile, Raducanu’s singles event goes on with a quarterfinal match against Maria Sakkari. The British star leads the Greek player 3-0, including a strong victory in the 2021 US Open semifinals. The victor of this match will advance to meet either Anna Kalinskaya or fourth seed Clara Tauson in the semifinals.

MORE: Emma Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari Citi Open Preview: Head-to-Head and Prediction