Taylor Fritz has been a familiar face at the Eisenhower Cup, teaming up with Aryna Sabalenka for the last two years. His powerful serve and net presence, combined with Sabalenka’s aggressive baseline game, made them a force to be reckoned with. The duo even clinched the title at the 2023 charity match. But this year, Sabalenka decided to sit out the tournament. No worries, though—Fritz found himself an unlikely but equally dangerous partner in Elena Rybakina.
The American and the Kazakhstani star joined forces for the mixed doubles exhibition event at the Eisenhower Cup (Tie Break Tens) on Tuesday, March 4, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. They didn’t just compete—they stormed through the draw, barely giving their opponents a chance. The result? A shiny trophy and a partnership that could extend beyond this tournament. In fact, Fritz has his sights set on the US Open mixed doubles event later this year and wants Rybakina by his side.
“I just asked Elena if she wants to play mixed at the US Open, so let’s see. Hopefully she says yes,” he said, flashing a grin. “Hopefully, I’ll play,” Rybakina replied.
Taylor Fritz Elena Rybakina
“I just asked Elena if she wants to play mixed at the US Open” pic.twitter.com/2lsJ6e0gPn
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) March 5, 2025
The World No.4’s proposal came just days after he backed the US Open’s controversial changes to mixed doubles. The 2025 edition will feature a 16-team draw, with eight teams earning direct entry based on their singles rankings. That’s not all—the tournament has also shifted the event to the week before the singles main draw. Previously, it overlapped with the final rounds of the singles competition. The American tennis star is all for the new format as he called it “really exciting“. However, they won’t be the only star-studded pair on the court. Tennis power couples Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa, along with Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter, have also expressed interest in entering. Can they replicate their success against these formidable foes?
Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina decode their winning formula
Taylor Fritz already had one Eisenhower Cup title under his belt with Aryna Sabalenka in 2023, and now he’s done it again with Elena Rybakina. Both players are former Indian Wells champions, so their chemistry on these courts was no surprise.
Their road to the trophy started with a solid 10-4 win over Daniil Medvedev and Amanda Anisimova. Next, they took down the defending champions, Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro, 10-6. Then came the final. Facing Tommy Paul and Madison Keys. They put on a dominant display, wrapping up the match 10-4 to secure the title and a hefty $200,000 cash prize.
The 27-year-old tennis star credited their success to one key strategy. He said, “The strategy was just, take care of our serves – we’re both big servers. Before we started, I said, you know, I think if we both serve well, I don’t know how we’re really gonna lose.” The former Wimbledon champion added that Fritz helped her adjust to the challenges of mixed doubles.
She said, “It was really fun and also Taylor was giving me some advice on the return. Since the guys’ serve is so good it’s not easy to return. But I think we did great. Yeah, super happy.”
While their mixed doubles future remains uncertain, both players are locked in for singles at Indian Wells. As the third seed in the men’s draw, Fritz has a bye into the second round, where he’ll face either Sebastian Baez or Matteo Gigante. Rybakina, the seventh seed in the women’s draw, also has a first-round bye. She will kick off her campaign against the winner of Marie Bouzkova and Suzan Lamens.
For now, Fritz and Rybakina can enjoy their Eisenhower Cup victory. But will they take their partnership to the US Open?
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