In an surprising twist on the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open, Emma Raducanu and Elena Rybakina withdrew mid-match from their doubles semifinal, sparking backlash from followers who felt the duo disrespected the occasion. The pair retired trailing 1-4 within the first set in opposition to Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai, simply days after forming what many hoped can be a promising workforce.
Although each are primarily singles gamers, Raducanu and Rybakina had made a robust begin to their doubles marketing campaign. They fought again to defeat Olivia Nicholls and Tereza Mihalikova within the first spherical and adopted that up with a win over Giuliana Olmos and Aldila Sutjiadi to achieve the semifinals.
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In the meantime, each had been advancing deep into the singles draw. Raducanu had shocked Naomi Osaka after which battled previous Maria Sakkari in scorching, humid situations.
After the match, she admitted the climate made her really feel like she had “simply opened an oven.” Rybakina additionally reached the semifinals in singles after comfortably dispatching Magdalena Frech.
Fan outrage over doubles withdrawal
The retirement from doubles was met with robust criticism on-line. Followers voiced disappointment over what they perceived as a scarcity of professionalism and respect for the doubles format.
One commenter referred to as it a “shame,” accusing them of losing a draw spot, whereas others argued they need to by no means have entered in the event that they weren’t dedicated to ending the match.
The frustration was compounded by the timing, as Raducanu had performed her singles match earlier within the day and was seen being handled by medical employees. Many believed her withdrawal was preemptive, not permitting Rybakina, who was but to play, an opportunity to resolve whether or not to compete.
Raducanu hinted at bodily struggles in her post-match feedback, saying, “I am not feeling the very best proper now, so I simply must go and converse to the docs.” She emphasised how draining the intense situations had been, particularly in lengthy rallies.
Whereas some noticed the choice as a realistic transfer to protect their probabilities in singles, others felt it devalued the doubles competition-especially for devoted doubles specialists who might have used that chance.
Because the match strikes ahead, Raducanu is ready to face Anna Kalinskaya within the semifinals, whereas Rybakina will meet Leylah Fernandez, who lately survived a marathon three-set match to advance.
Although their doubles marketing campaign ended abruptly, it served as a reminder of the balancing act high gamers should navigate between ambition, endurance, and expectations-both from the game and its more and more vocal fanbase.
