By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
Erin Routliffe, sister of Canadian Paralympic swimmer Tess Routliffe won a U.S. Open tennis title on Saturday in Flushing. She becomes the latest Canadian swimming sibling to achieve big success in a different sport.
Erin and Tess, two of three sisters, were both born in New Zealand while their Canadian parents were on an around-the-world sailing adventure. While the swimmer Tess represents Canada internationally, tennis player Erin represents New Zealand internationally.
With her Canadian partner Gabriel Dabrowski, Ern Routliffe won the women’s doubles title on Saturday. That’s her second U.S. Open title in women’s doubles in three years.
While singles tennis is the premier event, a doubles title is still significant and comes with a $1 million (per team) prize.
Erin has been ranked as high as #1 in the world in women’s doubles, though coming into the U.S. Open she ranked #7 in the world. She represented New Zealand in women’s doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as well.
Tess, meanwhile, is a two-time Paralympic swimmer who won silver in the 200 IM (SM7) in 2016, silver in the 200 IM (SM7) in 2024, and bronze in the 100 breaststroke (SB7) in 2024. She is also a three-time World Champion.
She missed the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after breaking her spine while weight training.
The other Routliffe sister, Tara, played NCAA volleyball at University of the Cumberlands.
Something in the Ice?
While siblings who have both been successful in swimming is not that uncommon, a core group of Canada’s best female swimmers all have siblings who have achieved world-class success in other sports.
That includes 7-time Olympic medalist Penny Oleksiak, who is the youngest of five siblings. Her brother Jamie Oleksiak is a defenseman who plays for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League.
The Oleksiak family is famously athletic: her 6’8″ father Richard was a high school hall of famer in Buffalo and played rugby and ran track at Colgate University. Her mother Alison was an elite swimmer and Scottish Record holder. Her sister Hayley was a competitive figure skater who went on to row at NCAA Division I Northeastern University, sister Claire is a competitive skier, and brother Jake was recruited to play NCAA hockey at Clarkson University before an injury.
The world’s best female swimmer Summer McIntosh is also Canadian and likewise comes from an accomplished athletic family. Her older sister Brooke McIntosh is a Spanish champion figure skater, representing the country since 2024 via her partner Marco Zandron. They won the 2025 pairs title; she was previously the Canadian silver medalist in pairs and the 2022 World Junior Championship bronze medalist in the same.
Brooke also competed at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.
Their mother Jill (Horstead) McIntosh was a 1984 Canadian Olympian in swimming.
There are some other examples, like Taylor Ruck‘s twin brother Hunter Ruck, who played NCAA Division I basketball; and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Cole Pratt‘s older sister Halle Pratt, who was a Tokyo 2020 Olympian in artistic swimming.
From tennis courts to hockey rinks, from figure skating rinks to volleyball courts, Canada’s top swimmers are part of a broader web of athletic families. Whether coincidence or culture, their stories highlight the deep sporting roots that continue to shape the country’s Olympic and Paralympic future.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Erin Routliffe, Sister of Paralympic Medal Winning Swimmer, Wins U.S. Open Tennis Title
