Five reasons to be excited for the 2026 HSBC Championships

Want to watch Williams live at the HSBC Championships? There are limited tickets still available for the WTA 500 event at The Queen’s Club, so grab your tickets now before it’s too late. 

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Home favourites gunning for grass court success 

British fans will have plenty to look forward to, with a strong home contingent set to compete across both draws. 

Starting off on the women’s side, former US Open champion Emma Raducanu is in the WTA draw alongside with wild cards Katie Boulter, Francesca Jones, Harriet Dart and Mika Stojsavljevic. 

Raducanu reached the quarter-finals at Queen’s last year and will be aiming to go deeper this time as she targets a second WTA final of the season following her runner-up finish at the Transylvania Open. 

In the men’s event British No.1 Cam Norrie leads the charge as the world No.24 bids to win his first ATP grass court title. Norrie is a former HSBC Championships runner-up, having reached the final back in 2021 where he fell short to Italian Matteo Berrettini in three-sets.  

Former world No.4 Jack Draper will also be making his return to action at the HSBC Championships, having suffered a knee injury that’s kept him away from the match court since the Barcelona Open back in April.  

The tournament will also mark the first time Draper has new coach Andy Murray in his corner, with the pair hoping to get their partnership off to a winning start on the same court where Murray was crowned a five-time champion. 

Next generation stars ready to shine 

Alongside established names, a new wave of talent will be hungry to make their mark on the grass this summer. 

Iva Jovic could be a strong contender for the title having already proven she has the game to succeed on grass. The 18-year-old was crowned Lexus Ilkley Open champion last summer and has since gone on to break into the world’s top 20, lift her first WTA 500 title and reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. 

Set to challenge her, is 2025 Lexus Eastbourne Open runner-up Alexandra Eala. The 21-year-old from the Philippines is one of the most popular stars on the WTA Tour, and attracts a host of support at every tournament she competes at. 

Britain’s Stojsavljevic will be one to watch as well, having made an impressive start to the grass court season at the Lexus Birmingham Open.  

Meanwhile on the ATP side, Roland Garros semi-finalist Jakub Mensik will return to Queen’s for the second year in a row. The Czech star will arrive fresh off the back of contesting his first Grand Slam semi-final in Paris and will be hoping to continue his red-hot form on the grass. 

Joining him is Spain’s Rafael Jodar – who has well and truly taken the tennis world by storm over. 

Last year, the 19-year-old was a university student ranked world No.707 –now, the Spaniard is ranked inside the world’s top 30, has lifted his first tour-level title in Marrakech and made his first Grand Slam quarter-final in Paris. 

While still relatively new to the surface, it’ll be interesting to see how Jodar’s game develops on the grass, with the teenager set to be an underdog at this year’s HSBC Championships. 

Get involved with the action early with HSBC Championships Opened Up 

Looking to get involved with the action early? Sunday 7 June will see the HSBC Championships Opened Up take place, bringing an action-packed day full of live tennis, challenges and more. 

Watch live practice sessions with the top women’s players including world No.2 Elena Rybakina, last year’s runner-up Amanda Anisimova and Leylah Fernandez, enjoy a fun doubles exhibition with some very special guests and watch the star compete in a set of tennis challenges. 

It’s the perfect day out for all the family, with kids tickets being free when booking with an accompanying adult and adult tickets costing £25. All proceeds will go to the LTA Tennis Foundation – the LTA’s official charity with a mission to improve lives through tennis. 

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A world-class field packed with proven champions

The HSBC Championships has long featured the world’s best players, and amongst this year’s entry list is a host of proven performers on grass. 

Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina headlines the women’s field as the top seed and will be hunting down a second grass court title four years on from her Wimbledon triumph. Rybakina has already lifted trophies on the hard and clay courts this season and will be eager to add another on the surface where she claimed her first major title. 

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic has enjoyed a resurgent return to the WTA tour and will be hoping to channel the form that led her to the 2015 Eastbourne title when she returns to the grass this summer. Meanwhile, Karolina Pliskova is also a proven grass court champion having won titles in Nottingham (2015) and Eastbourne (2017, 2019). 

On the men’s side, 2024 title-winner Tommy Paul is so to return to The Queen’s Club in pursuit of reclaiming his crown and is joined by former Eastbourne winners Alex de Minaur and Francisco Cerundolo who will all be strong contenders for the title.  

While he’s yet to win silverware on the grass, Denmark’s Holger Rune is set to make his comeback at Queen’s after being out of the game since October due to injury. The former world No.4 has previously made the semi-finals at the HSBC Championships and has recorded a career-best run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.