The Raducanu/Rybakina pair withdraws from doubles semifinals in Washington

Emma Raducanu and Elena Rybakina both secured their spots in the singles semifinals at the WTA 500 tournament in Washington. A few hours later, the two players teamed up for the doubles semifinals against Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai.

However, the match was cut short. After Raducanu had mentioned the challenges of playing in stifling heat following her victory over Sakkari, the Brit, visibly unwell, was unable to compete at full physical capacity.

Just as the match began, Raducanu and Rybakina, who had partnered for this tournament, ultimately withdrew with the score at 4-1 in favor of Townsend and Zhang.

Still in contention in singles, both players—each a Grand Slam singles champion—could potentially face each other in the final by the end of the week in the U.S. capital.

In the meantime, the doubles final will pit the pairs Townsend/Zhang against Dolehide/Kenin. The two Americans eliminated the top-seeded duo, Muhammad/Routliffe.

Another consequence of Raducanu and Rybakina's withdrawal is that Taylor Townsend is guaranteed to claim the world No. 1 ranking in doubles this Monday, regardless of the outcome of Saturday's final.