With a place in the semi-finals on her debut at Queen’s hanging in the balance, Emma Raducanu flitted towards the net in an attempt to pluck a floating ball out of the air. She has effortlessly dispatched similar balls thousands of times, but on game point while a set down, her forehand drive volley landed closer to the back fence than the court.
Normally, she would react with frustration to such an easy miss on an important point. This, however, was only doubles. As she turned away and comically planted her palm on her face, she could not hide her smile. Katie Boulter, her doubles partner, laughed out loud.
It was that kind of day for Britain’s two best women’s tennis players as their enjoyable time at Queen’s was ended by Erin Routliffe and Lyudmyla Kichenok. The imperious first seeds closed them out 6-2, 7-5 despite a spirited fightback from the home pairing. Although they were outplayed, Boulter and Raducanu were smiling until the end.
Two days after they secured a victory in their first match together, Boulter and Raducanu returned to a heaving court one, where the significant interest generated by their partnership was again not reflected in an appropriate court assignment. Instead of the 7,700 strong Andy Murray Arena, they played in front of a full crowd of 1,000, with thousands of interested fans unable to watch. Once again, it was not available for the BBC to broadcast. This is not the first time on either the WTA or ATP tours that broadcast contractual obligations have led to a high-profile doubles match being held on a smaller court.
Those who were able to watch witnessed the immense skill demonstrated by Routliffe, a former doubles No 1 and 2023 US Open champion ranked No 3, and Kichenok, the reigning US Open doubles champion. They pounced on their opponents’ inexperience, with the imposing Routliffe dominating the net while Kichenok remained tidy on both the baseline and the net until the end. Impressively, Raducanu and Boulter fought back from a break down to make the second set a competitive tussle, but they were well beaten in the end.
Even in an era where most top singles players do not take doubles seriously, Raducanu’s aversion has been interesting. Queen’s marks just her second doubles tournament and the first-round match against Wu Fang-hsien and Jiang Xinyu was her first doubles win. Having spent much of her young career struggling to stay fit, adding doubles to her load has not been a realistic option at times, but experiences like this may highlight the value of the discipline.
Doubles allows players to sharpen other parts of their games – particularly their volleying, returning and serving – in match scenarios without the pressure of immediately trying to implement them in singles. It also just provides some levity and enjoyment in an otherwise bruising, gruelling sport, something Raducanu has struggled with. With the British team now a consistent contender in the Billie Jean King Cup, an established partnership between Boulter and Raducanu would be an asset.
Although this outing ended in defeat, Wednesday was still a good day for both players. After a little over an hour of sharpening their games under match conditions and with ample laughs, they left the court more prepared for their significant challenges. On Thursday, Raducanu will attempt to maintain her momentum after her opening-round win over Cristina Bucsa by tackling Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia. Boulter, meanwhile, will face the 21-year-old world No 10 Diana Shnaider.
Later on Wednesday, Sonay Kartal, the British No 3, lost 6-1, 6-3 to the No 8 seed Amanda Anisimova. Kartal had achieved the biggest win of her career in the first round, beating world No 16 Daria Kasatkina in three sets, but here she was overpowered by the stellar American.
