Routliffe Into First Semi-Final Of 2026 With New Partner

New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe has started her North American hard-court swing with two victories alongside her new partner, Aldila Sutjiadi.

Playing the WTA 500 event in Washington DC, the second seeds made quick work of their first two matches together, defeating singles specialists Potapova/Kenin in the first round before backing it up with a 6-3, 6-2 quarter-final win over the young U.S. pairing of Smith/Ngounoue.

Routliffe and Sutjiadi never looked troubled during the match, converting five of nine break points while only losing serve once themselves. One of their opponents, Clervie Ngounoue, is clearly one to watch for the future, having won the Wimbledon Girls' singles title in 2023 and two other Junior Grand Slam doubles titles before making the transition to the pro tour.

Currently ranked No. 37 in the WTA doubles rankings, 31-year-old Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia has been ranked as high as No. 26 in the world. She is Routliffe’s eighth doubles partner this year, having struggled to find a consistent partnership since her split with Dabrowski at the end of 2025. Sutjiadi has also had a number of different combinations this year, including fellow Indonesian Janice Tjen, Vera Zvonareva, and Giuliana Olmos.

There is potential for Routliffe to face one of the Williams sisters for the third time this year, as Venus Williams and Diana Shnaider will play for a place in that semi-final against Xu/Tang later today (NZT). Routliffe has played Serena Williams twice over the European summer already.

The North American hard courts are where Routliffe finds her best form, having won the US Open twice and going in as the defending champion this year. She is also the two-time defending champion in Cincinnati, with the WTA 1000 event set to start later this month (August 13).