The grass courts of Queen’s Club in London are set to witness a historic moment as Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, makes her return to doubles competition at the inaugural WTA 500 HSBC Championships, running from June 7-15, 2025. Partnering with British No. 1 Katie Boulter, Raducanu will face China’s Xinyu Jiang and Chinese Taipei’s Fang-Hsien Wu in the first round of the women’s doubles draw. This marks her first doubles event since the 2022 Citi Open in Washington, D.C., where she played alongside Clara Tauson. The announcement has sparked excitement among fans, who are eager to see the two British stars team up on home soil at this prestigious tournament, the first women’s event at Queen’s Club in over 50 years.
Raducanu, now 22, has been steadily rebuilding her career after a challenging period marked by injuries. Her 2021 US Open triumph, where she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam, catapulted her to world No. 10 and earned her the WTA Newcomer of the Year award. However, surgeries on both wrists and an ankle in 2023 saw her ranking plummet outside the top 300. Her 2025 season has shown signs of resurgence, with a quarter-final run at the Miami Open—her first at a WTA 1000 event—and a notable victory over world No. 17 Daria Kasatkina in Strasbourg, her first top-20 win on clay. Now ranked No. 37, Raducanu is chasing a top-32 spot to secure a Wimbledon seeding, and her doubles participation with Boulter could provide valuable match practice on grass.
Boulter, ranked No. 34, has held the British No. 1 mantle since June 2023, bolstered by three WTA titles, including back-to-back Nottingham Open crowns in 2023 and 2024. The duo’s decision to pair up has generated buzz, with fans on social media dubbing them “two Queens at Queen’s.” “Let’s go Emma & Katie!” one fan posted, capturing the anticipation surrounding their partnership. The doubles draw, announced on June 7, places them in a competitive field, but their chemistry could be a game-changer. “I used to watch the tournament every year growing up, so to be able to compete at such a wonderful, historic, and iconic event to commence the grass court season is an honour,” Boulter said, her words reflecting the significance of the event for British players.
The HSBC Championships, boasting a record-breaking £1.04 million prize purse for a WTA 500 event, feature a star-studded singles draw with six Grand Slam champions, including Madison Keys, Naomi Osaka, and Barbora Krejcikova. Raducanu, awarded a wildcard, faces a qualifier in her singles opener but could meet reigning Wimbledon champion Krejcikova in the second round. Boulter, also a wildcard, starts against a qualifier, with a potential second-round clash against Diana Shnaider or Magdalena Frech. “I’m thrilled to confirm Katie, Emma, Madison, and Naomi will be headlining the HSBC Championships in June,” said tournament director Laura Robson, a former British No. 1, emphasizing the event’s historic return. “Fans will see some of the best female players on the planet, and with three Grand Slam champions and the British number one in the mix, it promises to be a spectacular return.”
Raducanu’s return to doubles is a strategic move, offering a chance to sharpen her net play and court awareness ahead of Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round in 2021 as a wildcard. Her last doubles outing in 2022 ended in a first-round loss, but her singles success that year, including a career-high ranking of No. 10, showed her potential to adapt across formats. Boulter, with her powerful baseline game, complements Raducanu’s versatile style, and their shared ambition to make history on home soil adds an emotional layer to their campaign. “To win that title as a British player would be an absolute dream,” Boulter said, a sentiment Raducanu likely shares.
The Queen’s Club event, part of a restructured British grass-court swing, is a milestone for women’s tennis, with the LTA aiming for prize money parity by 2029. Despite the men’s ATP 500 event offering a larger purse, the women’s tournament has drawn 55% female ticket buyers, signaling strong support. Raducanu’s participation, especially in doubles, adds to the event’s allure, with coverage on BBC and the Tennis Channel ensuring global visibility. As she and Boulter take to the courts, their partnership symbolizes a new era for British tennis, blending rivalry with camaraderie in a bid to etch their names into Queen’s Club history.
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