Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter marked the return of women`s tennis to the Queen`s Club by securing a straightforward victory in the opening round of the HSBC Championships doubles.
Britain`s top two female players comfortably defeated the Chinese pair of Xinyu Jiang and Fang-Hsien Wu, winning 6-4, 6-2. Both Raducanu and Boulter are also scheduled to compete in the singles tournament at the historic London grass court venue, which is hosting a women`s event for the first time since 1973.
They could potentially face fellow British duo Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage in the next doubles round, provided the latter can overcome top seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Erin Routliffe.
Speaking after the match, 2021 US Open champion Raducanu admitted she was “actually very nervous before the match,” adding it was “probably more nervous than the singles” because she “didn`t necessarily know what to do” in doubles. However, she was “really happy once we got out there, Katie made me feel so comfortable, and I`m just so pleased to get a win.”
Raducanu revealed that the partnership for Queen`s came about “spontaneously,” despite having had close calls where they nearly teamed up at tournaments in Madrid, Paris, and Miami.
When asked if the partnership might extend to Wimbledon, Raducanu stated, “We haven`t spoken about it. It worked pretty well, so we`re just going to keep on trying to do as best we can this week.” Boulter playfully added, “Scrap what she said – we`re going for the Wimbledon title! No, I`m just kidding.”
Looking ahead to singles, Boulter is set to begin her campaign against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, while Raducanu will face Spain`s Cristina Bucsa.
In other British tennis news from Monday, Jacob Fearnley was defeated in straight sets by American Brandon Nakashima in the first round of the Boss Open in Stuttgart.
Andy Murray Arena Officially Inaugurated
Earlier on Monday, the centre court at Queen`s Club was officially inaugurated and renamed the Andy Murray Arena. The five-time Queen`s singles champion (winning most recently in 2016) and a long-time advocate for women`s tennis was present for the ceremony.
The 38-year-old participated in a ceremonial two-round rally, joking beforehand that his “tennis is diabolical, apologies for what you are about to witness.” He paired up with 10-year-old Gloria against Laura Robson, his Olympic silver medal doubles partner from 2012, and 7-year-old Jay.
Murray commented that he has “obviously missed being out here. It`s the first time, obviously, not being involved in a grass court season for a while, but I`ve got a new life now and I`m enjoying being away from the sport a little bit.” He noted his personal connection to the event, having been coached as a teenager by Olga Morozova, the last women`s singles winner at Queen`s in 1973.
Regarding the return of the women`s tournament, Murray said, “I think it`s brilliant. This court has had many great matches on it. I think it`s a great chance for women to showcase themselves out there.”
Murray first played in the Queen`s main draw at 18 and last competed there in singles the previous season. He also won the doubles title in 2019 alongside Feliciano Lopez.
He expressed his gratitude for the honour: “This tournament has so many special moments for me. It`s the place where I won my first match on the ATP Tour, it`s my most successful event. Coming back here at the start of the British summer and I`m very proud of the results I have here. I`m very grateful and thankful for whoever it was who decided to name the stadium this way. I hope there`s lots of great matches and you all enjoy the tennis.”
