Emma Raducanu is all set up to start her campaign at Indian Wells in both the singles and the doubles competition. The British player is seeded in the singles and has a bye in the second round, where she will face either Ella Siedel or Anastasia Zakharova.
In the doubles, Raducanu’s partner has been revealed to be Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse, and they face a stern test in the first round to start their Indian Wells campaign.
Emma Raducanu and Her Partner Face a Stern First Round Test at Indian Wells
Raducanu and Ruse will begin their doubles campaign with a first-round clash against the third-seeded pair of Taylor Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková. Since joining forces in the middle of 2024, the pair of Townsend and Siniaková have been one of the most dominant doubles teams on the WTA Tour, reaching three Grand Slam finals and winning the 2024 Wimbledon Championships and the 2025 Australian Open.
On the other hand, Raducanu has no doubles career to speak of, having played only a handful of doubles matches on the Tour. She has no doubles titles, even in the Challenger or the ITF levels.
However, Ruse has reached at least one doubles final in her career, the 2019 Bucharest Open, and has also reached the semifinals at a couple of Grand Slams, the 2023 Australian Open and the 2024 French Open.
Off the court, Raducanu and Ruse are good friends, as Raducanu has Romanian roots on her father’s side of the family. They have often shown support for one another, also playing exhibition matches together, especially after Raducanu won the US Open back in 2021.
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On court, they have faced each other twice, with Raducanu winning both matches at the 2024 ASB Classic and at the 2025 Canadian Open.
Raducanu and Ruse are underdogs in their upcoming match against Townsend and Siniaková, as the latter are not only the third seeds but also one of the favorites for the title.
If singles form is anything to go by, then Raducanu has had a decent start to her season, as she reached the final of the Transylvania Open, which was only her second career final, losing to Sorana Cîrstea. Since then, she has had first-round exits in Doha and Dubai.
Ruse’s form has been even more woeful in 2026 as the Romanian has made four first-round exits in five of the events she has played so far, with her best coming at the Australian Open, where she lost to Mirra Andreeva in the third round.
On the doubles front, this will be Raducanu’s first doubles event of the season, whereas Ruse has reached the semifinals at the Transylvania Open and at the Dubai Tennis Championships alongside compatriot, Jaqueline Cristian.
