HSBC Championships ATP 500 – 2026 Preview
The grass-court season reaches its showpiece British week in West Kensington, where the historic Queen's Club hosts the HSBC Championships, although a wave of withdrawals has blown the men's draw wide open
London, United Kingdom · 15 Jun – 21 Jun
The HSBC Championships, long known simply as Queen's and historically as the cinch Championships and the Fever-Tree Championships, is an annual ATP 500 grass-court tennis tournament held at The Queen's Club in West Kensington, London. One of the oldest events in the sport, it runs the same week as the Halle Open as the premier British grass-court warm-up before Wimbledon, and since 2025 it has also hosted a WTA 500 event in the preceding week. The 2026 edition is the 123rd staging of the men's championship.
Tournament Schedule
Qualifying: Saturday, 13 June and Sunday, 14 June
Main Draw: Monday, 15 June to Sunday, 21 June
Doubles Final: Sunday, 21 June, after the singles final
Singles Final: Sunday, 21 June at 1:30 p.m. BST
Prize Money and Ranking Points
Total Prize Money: €2,583,330
Singles
| Round | Prize Money | Ranking Points |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | €483,145 | 500 |
| Finalist | €259,940 | 330 |
| Semi-finalist | €138,530 | 200 |
| Quarter-finalist | €70,775 | 100 |
| Round of 16 | €37,780 | 50 |
| Round of 32 | €20,145 | 0 |
History
The Queen's Club Championships is one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in tennis, first contested in the 1880s and now in its 123rd edition for the men. Staged on the traditional grass of The Queen's Club in West Kensington, it has been the classic British grass-court warm-up for Wimbledon for well over a century, and was upgraded to an ATP 500 in 2015. The event has carried many sponsor names down the years, including the Stella Artois, Aegon, Fever-Tree and cinch Championships, before HSBC took the title sponsorship in 2025, the same year a WTA 500 event returned to Queen's after a 52-year absence. Andy Murray holds the record with five singles titles and remains the last home champion, in 2016; the main show court is now named the Andy Murray Arena in his honour. Boris Becker is the youngest champion (17, in 1985), Feliciano Lopez the oldest (37, in 2019) and, ranked No. 113 that year, also the lowest-ranked, while John McEnroe holds the record for most match wins (42). The 2026 men's event is led by tournament director Jamie Murray, the former doubles World No. 1.
Tournament Data
The Queen's Club sits in West Kensington, in inner west London, essentially at sea level. Its traditional grass courts play as a quick, true grass surface, and unlike the roofed arena in Halle the same week, the centre court here is open to the skies, so rain can and does interrupt play during a British June.
These are the characteristics to expect on the Queen's grass:
- High ace counts and a strong premium on serve; the low, skidding bounce rewards big first serves and flat hitting
- Short average rallies and first-strike tennis, with serve-plus-one patterns and crisp net play richly rewarded
- A traditional, relatively low grass bounce that favours players who move well and volley with feel
- High service-hold and tiebreak rates, so matches can hinge on a handful of points and a single mini-break
- No roof over centre court, so showers can disrupt the order of play, a clear contrast to the climate-controlled grass in Halle the same week
Tournament Past Winners
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Semi-finalist | Semi-finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Jiri Lehecka | Roberto Bautista Agut | Jack Draper |
| 2024 | Tommy Paul | Lorenzo Musetti | Sebastian Korda | Jordan Thompson |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz | Alex de Minaur | Sebastian Korda | Holger Rune |
| 2022 | Matteo Berrettini | Filip Krajinovic | Botic van de Zandschulp | Marin Cilic |
| 2021 | Matteo Berrettini | Cameron Norrie | Alex de Minaur | Denis Shapovalov |
Note: the 2020 edition was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Weather
This week in London, conditions are warm and largely fine for mid-June, a kind draw for an uncovered grass court. Daytime highs sit around 22 to 24 C (72 to 75 F) through the week under mostly sunny skies, with only a modest shower risk that is highest on the opening Monday at roughly 35 percent. With no roof over centre court, any rain would interrupt the order of play, but the forecast points to a mostly dry, fast-playing grass week.
Key 2026 News and Storylines
The Big One: a defending champion out and a draw blown wide open
The story at Queen's this year is the casualty list. Defending champion and two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the entire grass swing with a wrist injury, and he was followed out by British No. 1 Jack Draper (knee), Holger Rune (Achilles), 2024 finalist Lorenzo Musetti (thigh), and others including Luciano Darderi and Valentin Vacherot. The cascade left just three top-20 players in the field and turned one of the sport's grandest events into one of the most open ATP 500s in recent memory, with top seed Alex de Minaur heading a thrown-open draw.
Major Withdrawals and Absences
- Carlos Alcaraz (defending champion, World No. 2): WITHDREW. The two-time champion (2023 and 2025) is sidelined by the wrist injury that ended his Roland Garros and forced him out of the entire grass swing, so he does not defend his title.
- Jack Draper (British No. 1): OUT. Sidelined since Barcelona with a knee injury, he had hoped to make his comeback at Queen's but withdrew.
- Holger Rune: OUT. The Dane has not played since October because of an Achilles injury.
- Lorenzo Musetti (2024 finalist): OUT. A thigh injury suffered at the Italian Open, which also cost him Roland Garros, keeps him sidelined.
- Luciano Darderi and Valentin Vacherot: OUT. Both joined a long list of late withdrawals, thinning the seedings still further.
Key Players In (or Status to Watch)
- Alex de Minaur (top seed, Australia) is IN. The 2023 finalist and a proven grass-courter (Eastbourne 2021) is now the man to beat, though he drew a tricky opener.
- Jiri Lehecka (second seed, Czech Republic) is IN. Last year's runner-up, who lost the 2025 final to Alcaraz, arrives at a career high after a Miami Masters final and is arguably the form pick; he starts against Kamil Majchrzak.
- Jakub Mensik (third seed, Czech Republic) is IN. The Miami Masters champion and Roland Garros semi-finalist has a huge serve built for grass and chose to play here; he opens against Adrian Mannarino.
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (fourth seed, Spain) is IN, drawn against 2021 finalist Cameron Norrie in a tough first-rounder.
- Rafael Jodar (fifth seed, Spain) is IN. The breakout NextGen star, now World No. 23 after starting last year outside the top 600, makes his tour-level grass debut against Ignacio Buse.
- Arthur Rinderknech (sixth seed) and Francisco Cerundolo (seventh seed) are IN as dangerous floaters with the games to trouble anyone on a quick court.
- Tommy Paul (eighth seed, USA) is IN. The 2024 champion returns to a court he knows how to win on, opening against Jaume Munar.
- Cameron Norrie (Britain) is IN and leads home hopes with Draper out, although he drew fourth seed Davidovich Fokina in the first round.
The withdrawals have flipped Queen's from a star-studded marquee into one of the most open ATP 500s in memory. De Minaur and Lehecka head the betting, Mensik's serve makes him dangerous, Jodar is the breakout story and 2024 champion Tommy Paul knows the surface. Set against the loaded Halle field the same week, this is a draw in which a first-time or surprise champion would be no shock.
Tournament Draws
Here are the links to the draws that you can check anytime to follow the latest updates and see which players advance through each round.
Summary
Queen's is one of tennis's grand old occasions, an ATP 500 on quick, traditional London grass that has crowned champions from McEnroe and Becker to Murray, Nadal and Alcaraz. The fast, low-bouncing courts reward big serving, sharp movement and first-strike aggression, and with no roof over centre court the British weather is always part of the story.
So, expect serve-led, aggressive grass-court tennis, with plenty of holds, tiebreaks and fine margins. This year, the withdrawals of Alcaraz, Draper, Rune, Musetti and others have left the draw unusually open, with de Minaur, Lehecka, Mensik and 2024 champion Tommy Paul among those best placed to seize it.
Ready for the showpiece British week of the grass swing, the final big test before Wimbledon, even if the cast is thinner than usual? With a wide-open field, a breakout star in Jodar, home hopes resting on Norrie and the wildcards, and barely a clear favourite, this could be one of the more unpredictable Queen's editions in years. Let's see who seizes the opportunity and cashes in the fantasy points.
Did You Know?
Andy Murray's name is on the trophy and the stadium. Murray holds the record with five Queen's titles (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016), the most in tournament history, and remains the last home champion. The main show court at The Queen's Club is now named the Andy Murray Arena in his honour.
Win here, win Wimbledon. Queen's has long been the classic Wimbledon launchpad, with champions including Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz backing up the title with the Wimbledon crown weeks later, which is why a strong week in West Kensington is watched so closely.