Emma Raducanu sheds light on new partner in crime as Brit eyes two trophies

Emma Raducanu has explained how her blockbuster partnership with Elena Rybakina came to be as she prepares to play in her first-ever doubles semi-final. The Brit teamed up with the world No. 12 at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington this week, and they are now two wins away from the trophy.

Raducanu has also stormed through the singles draw in the US capital and is through to the quarter-final, meaning she's in contention to pick up two titles this weekend. Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina is also still alive in the singles.

The pair of Grand Slam champions, dubbed 'Rybacanu' by fans, will take on No. 2 seeds Zhang Shuai and Taylor Townsend in Friday evening's doubles semi-final.

This is just the third time that Raducanu has played doubles on the WTA Tour. She previously partnered with Clara Tauson and Katie Boulter, but has never made it this far before.

And her exciting partnership with Rybakina has been a long time coming, as the Major winners were set to join forces three years ago. After their missed opportunity in 2022, Raducanu was the one who approached the Kazakh about playing in Washington.

"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."

It may have been an off-the-cuff decision, but Rybacanu are thriving together. They beat fourth seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls in round one, and then took out Giuliana Olmos and Aldila Sutjiadi on Thursday.

Raducanu will also be focused on her singles campaign as she takes on Maria Sakkari in Friday's quarter-final. The Brit has a 3-0 record against the world No. 90, but Sakkari has been in top form this week, upsetting second seed Emma Navarro.

If Raducanu can make it to her first final since winning the 2021 US Open, she could face her partner. Rybakina is the highest seed left in the draw, and she faces Magdalena Frech in the quarters.

The British No. 3 has reached the quarter-finals on all three of her appearances in Washington. Last year she lost to eventual champion Paula Badosa, and in 2022 she was ousted by Liudmila Samsonova. But it could be third time lucky for Raducanu in DC.

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