Emma Raducanu and Victoria Mboko’s first grass-court event of season confirmed
The HSBC Championships has announced its first list of high-profile stars who will feature at the 2026 event with three players currently in the top 10 on the entry list along with Emma Raducanu and rising stars Victoria Mboko and Iva Jovic.
Following a 50-year absence from the WTA Tour, the Queen’s Club Championships returned to the calendar last year and qualifier Tatjana Maria stunned the field as, aged 37 years and 10 months old, she became the oldest player to win a WTA 500 title.
The German beat star names like Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova en route to lifting the title.
And organisers have once again managed to secure a high-quality field with world No 6 Anisimova once again in the field along, but the honour of highest-ranked player goes to her fellow American Jessica Pegula, who is currently ranked five.
Teenage sensation and world No 10 Victoria Mboko has also been confirmed as she will make her debut at the grass-court tournament following her incredible rise from outside the top 300 at the start of 2025 to inside the top 10.
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“I am so excited to be making my HSBC Championships debut this summer! Having heard such great things about the tournament, it was one of the events I am looking very much forward to compete at,” the 19-year-old Canadian said.
“The last 12 months have been incredible with so many new experiences and this is another one to add to the list. Being able to play at The Queen’s Club in the second year of the new women’s event is going to be very special.
“I’m feeling confident and happy with how the first few months of the year have been going so far. I’m just enjoying every moment I get to go out and compete. This is a chance for me to show what I can do on the grass and I can’t wait to get going.”
Mboko won the Canadian Open last August after receiving a wildcard and also lifted the Hong Kong Tennis Open in November.
World No 11 and 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Belinda Bencic has also signed up along with 18-year-old American Jovic, who is currently at No 16 in the WTA Rankings.
2021 US Open winner Raducanu will lead the British charge as she will appear at the WTA 500 for the second year in a row.
Last year, she reached the quarter-final before losing against reigning Olympic champion Zheng.
The HSBC Championships marks the start of the grass-court season as it starts the week after the French Open with the tournament getting underway on 8 June with the final set for 14 June.
