Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz put in their place with ruthless swipe

Rennae Stubbs has ruthlessly shot down Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz's hopes of glory in the revamped mixed doubles event at the US Open this year. In an apparent dream partnership, the two former champions at Flushing Meadows will team up for the tournament, forming part of a star-studded field.

Organisers have sought to make the format more attractive to fans this time around. The competition will take place during US Open Fan Week in August, with eight teams benefiting from wildcards due to their singles rankings. The other eight will be seeded pairings, a decision which has allowed a host of big-name players to commit.

Hype around the 'Alcaranu' partnership was ramped up at Queen's last week when the 22-year-old watched the Spaniard in his semi-final. However, Stubbs, who was ranked world No.1 in doubles and won five Grand Slam titles in the format, has been scathing.

"Frankly, I would say that Raducanu and Alcaraz are definitely the weakest pair," she said on her podcast. "I say that, and I want to clarify that I have nothing against them. I've always praised their game."

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Neither player has ever played mixed doubles at a Slam event. Raducanu controversially withdrew from accompanying Andy Murray at Wimbledon last year, denying the Scot a farewell match at SW19.

The Australian, 54, didn't only take aim at that pairing, though. She also isn't holding out much hope for the duo of Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, casting doubt over whether the Norwegian will be able to adapt his game.

"Then again, I also want to say that the Swiatek and Ruud pairing isn't very reassuring either," she added. "Iga serves and returns well, but I'm not really sure that doubles is a discipline that Casper has practiced much."

Other big-name entries include Novak Djokovic and compatriot Olga Danilovic, Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa, and Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dmitrov. However, despite the increased fan appeal, not everyone is behind the new concept, with French star Kristina Mladenovic labelling it "embarrassing."

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