(Video) Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper Share Awkward Exchange at Net After US Open Mixed Doubles Match

Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz will start their preparation for the singles event at the US Open, the main draw of which starts on August 24.

(Video) Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper Share Awkward Exchange at Net After US Open Mixed Doubles Match

Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz lost their first match to Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper (Image via X/Emma Raducanu, Tennis Channel, Carlos)

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Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper did not let fans’ favorite Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz reach the US Open quarterfinals. On Tuesday (August 19), Pegula and Draper secured a 4-2, 4-2 win in the first round of the revamped US Open mixed doubles.

One incident after the match became a talking point of the town. It was when the four players came toward the net for the customary handshake. While Alcaraz and Pegula shook hands and hugged each other, it wasn’t the case with the two Brits as they shared a formal handshake even though Raducanu and Draper have known each other since childhood.

This exchange that lasted for just a few seconds led to speculation about a possible ‘break-up’, with some fans on social media saying the exchange was awkward and cold, and gave ‘ex vibes’.

Watch the video here:

Raducanu, at present, is linked with Alcaraz. But both players have time and again denied the romance rumors. When it was announced that Raducanu and Alcaraz would pair up for the mixed doubles, the former was asked in an interview to give her views on fans’ claims that she and the Spaniard are ‘destined for each other’. Raducanu laughed and joked that she and the World No.2 are “providing some entertainment for everyone” and that the “internet is having fun“.

While the two 22-year-olds crashed out of the mixed doubles, first seeds Draper and Pegula beat Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals 4-1, 4-1 to schedule the semifinal match against third-seed Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud. Swiatek and Ruud beat Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals, while in the first round, they went past home favorites Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe.

Andy Roddick worried about Carlos Alcaraz’s mistake during his Cincinnati Masters final against Jannik Sinner

Before arriving in New York for the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz, in less than 24 hours before his first-round match, played the finals of the Cincinnati Masters against Jannik Sinner. Sinner gave up right after trailing 0-5 in the first set because of an illness, and Alcaraz later was seen checking on the World No.1. And this proximity to Sinner has worried 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (via Punto de Break)

The only error Carlos made all week was his proximity to Sinner once we suspected Sinner was not feeling well. Maybe it’s just for the day, I don’t care. There is no hug at the net. These two are the classiest people. I love it. But if I’m his coach, I am going to be saying, ‘Get away!’ Don’t stand next to him. Don’t go see if he’s okay. Skip the pictures. Do not get close to him. Carlos, get away from him if he’s sick! You have the US Open coming up. You have made the finals of your last seven events; every event he has played since Miami, he has made at least the finals of.

Andy Roddick said on his Served podcast

Alcaraz now leads 9-5 in the head-to-head matchups with the four-time Grand Slam champion. It was their fourth meeting in a final this season after the Rome Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. At SW19, Sinner broke his five-set losing streak against the five-time Grand Slam champion.

The 24-year-old too was scheduled to play the US Open mixed doubles with Katerina Siniakova, but his illness spoiled everything. He has arrived in New York to start his preparation for singles and will play the event as the defending champion. Last year, he beat Taylor Fritz in straight sets. Alcaraz too has one US Open title to his name (won in 2022 by beating Casper Ruud).

Also read: Jasmine Paolini Wishes Health and Recovery for Jannik Sinner After Losing the Cincinnati Open Final