Carlos Alcaraz could force Emma Raducanu to pull out of US Open competition in nightmare scenario
Emma Raducanu’s place in the US Open may be under threat if Carlos Alcaraz cannot do one thing before partnering her at the tournament.
Men’s world number two Alcaraz, 22, and 2021 US Open winner, Raducanu, 22, are due to partner each other against Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula in the mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows.
And this year’s edition of the doubles event will see several changes, including sets won by four games (excluding the final), no-advantage scoring, and a 10-point match tie-break in place of a third set.
The 16 pairs involved will compete for a $1m (£749,077) prize.
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However, before he makes the trip to New York, the Spaniard will face world number one Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles final at the Cincinnati Open in Ohio on Monday evening (August 18).
Usually, Masters 1000 events, such as the Cincinnati Open, finish on Sunday’s but this year’s edition was extended, which could prove costly for Alcaraz and Raducanu if things do not run smoothly.
Regardless of the result against Sinner later today, Alcaraz will be in a race against the clock to get to New York from Ohio in time for the doubles event.
It takes around two hours to fly from Ohio to New York, and Alcaraz may even be forced to travel on the day of competition.
Both rounds one and two of the event are scheduled from 11 am UK time on Tuesday, although Alcaraz will not be in action until at least 7 pm.
The semi-finals and final will take place on Wednesday.
Alcaraz and Raducanu’s pairing was announced back in June.
“She’s going to be the boss,” Alcaraz said at the time. “I’ve known Emma for a really long time, and I have a really good relationship with her. We will try to win. But obviously it’s going to be really, really fun.”
There had also been rumours of a romantic connection between the duo, but neither has confirmed this, with Raducanu rejecting the speculation earlier this summer, claiming they were “just friends”.
Speaking about the rumours during an interview with The Guardian, she said: “I guess it comes with the territory, people being so curious. I think they’re more curious about this news than any tennis results and tennis news. But I just keep to myself, my private life to one side. It’s always funny when people try to find something out, but I try not to read into it so much.”
US Open Mixed Doubles First Round Draw
Jack Draper/Jessica Pegula v Carlos Alcaraz/Emma Raducanu
Olga Danilovic/Novak Djokovic v Mirra Andreeva/Daniil Medvedev
Casper Ruud/Iga Swiatek v Madison Keys/Frances Tiafoe
Gael Monfils/Naomi Osaka v Caty McNally/Lorenzo Musetti
Katerina Siniakova/Jannik Sinner v Belinda Bencic/Alexander Zverev
Ben Shelton/Taylor Townsend v Amanda Anisimova/Holger Rune
Reilly Opelka/Venus Williams v Karolina Muchova/Andrey Rublev
Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori v Taylor Fritz/Elena Rybakina
Topics: Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, US Open, Tennis
Luke Davies