HSBC Championships 2026: Emma Raducanu sprints into second round at The Queen’s Club
• 2 minute read
Emma Raducanu made a statement start to her HSBC Championships campaign as she cruised past qualifier Anna Blinkova in straight sets.
The British No.1 - who was a quarter-finalist at the event last year - delivered a dominant display to secure a 6-0, 6-3 victory in just over an hour in her opening match of the grass-court season.
The victory marked her first match win since reaching the second round at Indian Wells back in March. Raducanu was forced to the sidelines for just over two months after struggling with post-viral illness but made her return to action last month in Strasbourg where she played three events on the clay.
The former US Open champion will be hoping to string together a strong run at The Queen’s Club as she targets a second WTA final of the year, following her runner-up finish at the Transylvania Open.
“I’m so happy to have come through that match and to be back here playing at Queen’s,” Raducanu beamed in her on-court interview. “I haven’t won a match for a few months and there’s no place I’d rather have done it so I’m really grateful for the support, so thank you.
“I have people who mean a lot around me," she added on having the support of her team. "I’m doing the best I can each day - being a part of the atmosphere is something I really enjoy and I don’t necessarily see it as added negative pressure, I really thrive and buzz off it."
I love playing here, I'm really happy to be back.
Raducanu was quick out of the blocks in the first match of the day on the Andy Murray Arena, racing into a 3-0 lead before a brief rain delay put a temporary pause on play.
The Brit returned to the court just as sharp and continued to dictate play off the forehand, where she recorded a near-perfect quality rating of 9.8 out of 10 in the opening set.
Raducanu dropped just two points on serve and applied relentless pressure on the return where she won 13 of 17 points on Blinkova’s serve to take a clean sweep in just 23 minutes.
The former Grand Slam champion carried that form into the second set, where she made another fast start to move 2-0 ahead. Blinkova responded by raising her level and securing her first break of the match - sparking a brief exchange of breaks in the early stages.
However, at 4-3, Raducanu produced the decisive breakthrough, firing a backhand that clipped the net cord to edge back in front. The world No.105 threatened another comeback as Raducanu stepped up to serve for the match but the home favourite held her composure to send a backhand down the line and punch her ticket to the second round once again.
There, she will face Sorana Cirstea in what will be a rematch of the Transylvania Open final, where the Romanian came through in straight sets to lift the title.
The British No.1 will return to court later today for her first round doubles match with compatriot Katie Boulter. The duo - also known as ‘Boultercanu’ - made their doubles debut at the HSBC Championships last year and are back in action once again, where they’ll be looking to go even further.
“Come and support us on Court 1 - Boultercanu is back in action. It’s our annual doubles match so I’m really looking forward to getting out there so hopefully you guys can come and support us."
Boultercanu will take on fourth seeds Zhang Shuai and Storm Hunter on Court 1.
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