Winner will enter the quarterfinal stage.
Elena Rybakina partners up with Yulia Putintseva to face Beatriz Haddad Maia and Cristina Bucsa at the 2025 HSBC Championships in Queen’s Club. It will be an intriguing tussle between two unorthodox pairs that have teamed up temporarily for the grass court swing. This will be the first meeting between them – who will storm into the quarterfinals?
Considering all four women are also involved in the singles draw, this doubles clash is more about gaining match fitness ahead of Wimbledon. The 29-year-old Brazilian is the most titled when it comes to the doubles circuit. Haddad Maia is a 9-time doubles champion, and she has reached the 2022 Australian Open final alongside Anna Danilina. Tag teaming with Bucsa, who is a former Top-20 doubles specialist, the duo could pose a threat to the seeds.
The most contrasting part about the Rybakina/Putintseva pairing is the height difference. While the 6 feet tall Kazakh has the long levers and reach, her 5’4” partner benefits with a lower centre of gravity and ability to counter flat groundstrokes. One can expect a large percentage of serve + one points, particularly on the Rybakina serve.
With three out of the four players primarily specialising in women’s singles, it will be interesting to see whether they can adapt to the fast paced nature of the doubles circuit. The winner of this high intensity battle will face Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs in the last eight stage.
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| Rybakina / Putintseva | Category | Haddad Maia / Bucsa |
| 0 | Doubles Grand Slams | 0 |
| 9 / 3 | WTA Singles Titles | 4 / 0 |
| 0 / 0 | WTA Doubles Titles | 7 / 6 |
| – | Olympics Best (Doubles) | R2 / – |
| -/ No. 64 | Current Doubles Ranking | No. 41 / No. 37 |
| No. 48 / No. 64 | Career-Best Doubles Ranking | No. 10 / No. 19 |
Although they have the singles prowess, navigating past doubles veterans is a challenging task at hand. It is unlikely that Rybakina and Putintseva will dig deep enough to remain consistent when it comes to their net game. On the other hand, the Brazil-Spain duo is likely to find their groove quicker than their opponents.
Prediction: Haddad Maia/Bucsa in straight sets.
Rybakina/Putintseva Win: 11/8
Haddad Maia/Bucsa Win: 8/13
(According to SkyBet)
A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.
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