International stars to look out for at the HSBC Championships

From established names to rising stars, we break down 10 international players to watch in West London.

Victoria Mboko

Canadian star Victoria Mboko was one of the breakout names last year. 

The 19-year-old began the 2025 season ranked outside the world’s top 300 but quickly made her mark after claiming five ITF titles before embarking on a fairytale run to the WTA 1000 title in Montreal. Following an impressive string of results, Mboko capped off the year by being crowned champion in Hong Kong, finishing the year at a career-high ranking of world No.9.

Last summer marked her first experience on grass at Wimbledon qualifying. Although she fell in the final round, Mboko entered the main draw as a lucky loser and secured a first-round win over Magdalena Frech.

While still relatively inexperienced on grass, Mboko arrives at The Queen’s Club as an exciting prospect with the confidence and game to go the distance. 

Rafael Jodar 

Rafael Jodar is one of the most exciting young talents on the ATP Tour right now.

The 19-year-old Spaniard is enjoying a breakthrough season that has seen him lift his first ATP title in Marrakech and rise to a career-high ranking of world No.29. He also reached the quarter-finals of Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome – becoming the first teenager to reach that stage in the same season since Rafael Nadal in 2005. 

While yet to compete in a tour-level tournament on the grass, his junior record includes some impressive results, highlighted by a run to the quarter-final of junior Wimbledon and being crowned champion at the J300 Roehampton event in 2024.

With momentum behind him, Jodar could prove a dangerous newcomer to the surface. 

Amanda Anisimova

Amanda Anisimova returns to Queen’s determined to go one step further after finishing runner-up in 2025.

After falling to Tatjana Maria in last year’s final - the first women’s event at The Queen’s Club in over 50 years - Anisimova carried that form into Wimbledon, where she reached her maiden Grand Slam final. 

She later added a second major final appearance at the US Open, finishing runner-up to world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.

The world No.6 was forced to miss the majority of the clay swing due to injury, but will be hoping for a strong showing at Roland Garros ahead of the grass court season, where she could be tipped to be another frontrunner this year. 

Belinda Bencic

It’s been just over a year since Belinda Bencic made her return to tennis after becoming a mother and her comeback has been nothing short of exceptional.

Since her return to competition at the start of the 2025 season, Bencic has claimed two WTA 500 titles in Abu Dhabi and Tokyo and finished the season ranked world No.11.

The 29-year-old also boasts an impressive record on grass. She won the Lexus Eastbourne Open title in 2015, has reached multiple WTA tour-level finals on the surface and last year, enjoyed her best run at Wimbledon by reaching the semi-finals.

With both form and experience on her side, Bencic looks well positioned for another deep run this summer where she will be hoping to etch her name on the silverware in West London.

Alex de Minaur 

Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur will return to the HSBC Championships aiming to go one better than his runner-up finish back in 2023.

The world No.7 has already tasted title success on the grass – having won titles in Eastbourne (2021) and s’Hertogenbosch (2024). He’s also clocked a career-best run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon (2024). 

With de Minaur being one of the most consistent players on the ATP Tour, he’ll be hoping to take the most of his chances this summer as he bids to become the first Australian to be crowned champion at The Queen’s Club since his idol Leyton Hewitt in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006. 

Marta Kostyuk

Kostyuk has been one of the in-form WTA stars in recent months – highlighted by a run to a maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid. 

While she may be in winning form on the clay, attention now turns to whether she can translate that dominance onto the grass. The Ukrainian suffered disappointment last summer, when she wrapped up the grass court swing without a single win across any of the four tournaments she competed in. 

That said, given her recent results and the 23-year-old sitting at a career-high ranking of 15, Kostyuk will undoubtedly be fired up to turn her fortunes this summer. 

Holger Rune

Former world No.4 Holger Rune will kick-start his comeback at this year’s HSBC Championships after being sidelined with an achilles injury since October.

The Danish star had initially targeted a return during the clay-court swing but will instead make his comeback on grass at The Queen’s Club, where he has previously enjoyed strong results.

Rune reached the semi-finals on his tournament debut three years ago before going on to make the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, underlining his ability on the surface.

With a proven track record on grass, the 23-year-old will hope the HSBC Championships provides the perfect platform for his comeback.

Tommy Paul

Former champion will return to the Queen’s Club after being forced to miss last year’s tournament due to injury.

Paul sprinted to his first grass court title at the HSBC Championships two years ago – defeating Sebastian Baez, Alejandro Tabilo, Jack Draper, Sebastian Korda and Musetti on his way to lifting the silverware. 

The American has been in fantastic form already this year, winning the ATP 250 tournament in Houston and reaching the final in Hamburg where he finished runner-up to rising Austrian star Ignacio Buse.

The 29-year-old will be hoping to pick up where he left off as he bids to become a two-time HSBC Championships winner.

Iva Jovic

Teenager Iva Jovic has proven she has what it takes to win on the grass, having lifted the Lexus Ilkley Open title last summer at the age of 17.

Shortly after claiming the WTA 125 crown in Ilkley, she went on to lift her first tour-level title at the WTA 500 Guadalajara. 

Since then, the American has gone from strength-to-strength on the WTA Tour – reaching the final of the WTA 250 Hobart, two semi-finals in Charleston and Auckland and reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career.

Now ranked inside the world’s top 20, Jovic will arrive with growing confidence, and will undoubtedly make a significant impact on the grass in West London. 

Valentin Vacherot

This time last year, Monegasque player Valentin Vacherot was ranked outside the world’s top 100 and competing regularly on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Fast forward 12 months, and he has surged to a career-high world No.16, highlighted by his maiden Masters 1000 title in Shanghai as a lucky loser.

It was a memorable run, with Vacherot defeating Alexander Bublik, Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic before overcoming his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final.

Looking ahead to the grass-court season, however, there are still plenty of unknowns. The 23-year-old has played just two matches on the surface, both in qualifying at Halle (2024) and Wimbledon (2025).

With grass still unfamiliar territory, all eyes will be on how Vacherot adapts to the faster conditions at Queen’s.