The draw for next week’s 2026 HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club is set, and while top seed Elena Rybakina and hometown favorite Emma Raducanu will attract plenty of attention, one of the biggest stories belongs to a British teenager.
Seventeen-year-old wild card Mika Stojsavljevic has been handed a challenging opening-round match against fifth seed Marta Kostyuk as women’s tennis returns to Queen’s Club.
Stojsavljevic is one of several British players in the field, joining Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart, and Francesca Jones in a tournament that could provide an early glimpse of Britain’s hopes for Wimbledon.
Read on for the 2026 HSBC Championships Draw Analysis, beginning Monday, June 8.
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Stojsavljevic Faces Tough Test
The young Brit landed in the same quarter as third seed Victoria Mboko and opens against Kostyuk.
While Kostyuk’s ranking makes her the favorite on paper, her grass-court results have been weak, and questions remain about how much energy she will have left after a deep run at Roland Garros and a difficult semifinal defeat in Paris.
That could give Stojsavljevic an opportunity to make a statement in front of a home crowd.
A victory would immediately become one of the biggest stories of the tournament.
Raducanu Returns Under the Spotlight
If there is one player facing enormous expectations next week, it is Emma Raducanu.
The former US Open champion returns to action after an extended absence and finds herself in one of the toughest sections of the draw.
Raducanu opens against a qualifier and could eventually face players such as Liudmila Samsonova and fourth seed Belinda Bencic.
With British fans eager to see her back on court, every match she plays is likely to draw significant attention.
Boulter Draws Blockbuster Opener
Katie Boulter may have received the toughest first-round assignment among the British contingent.
The British No. 1 opens against eighth seed Leylah Fernandez in what looks like one of the best matches of the first round.
Boulter has traditionally played some of her best tennis on grass, making this a dangerous opener for Fernandez despite the Canadian’s seeding.
Anisimova Lands Favorable Quarter
Among the top seeds, second seed Amanda Anisimova appears to have received the most favorable draw.
Anisimova is the highest-ranked player on Phil Naessens WTA Grass Court Power Rankings, and begins with a bye and avoids many of the dangerous floaters scattered throughout the rest of the field.
Her section includes Alexandra Eala, Laura Siegemund, and Francesca Jones, but on paper, it appears less demanding than the other quarters.
As a result, Anisimova enters the tournament with a realistic opportunity to build momentum ahead of Wimbledon.
Bencic Faces Toughest Path
Fourth seed Belinda Bencic may have been the least fortunate player in the draw.
Her quarter includes Raducanu, Samsonova, and seventh seed Sorana Cirstea, creating what many will view as the toughest section of the tournament.
Even with a first-round bye, Bencic will likely need to navigate multiple dangerous opponents simply to reach the semifinals.
First-Round Matches to Watch
- Katie Boulter vs. Leylah Fernandez
- Marta Kostyuk vs. Mika Stojsavljevic
- Harriet Dart vs. Liudmila Samsonova
- Karolina Pliskova vs. McCartney Kessler
- Laura Siegemund vs. Francesca Jones
With Wimbledon only weeks away, Queen’s Club offers players an important opportunity to adjust to grass courts.
For British fans, however, much of the focus will be on Stojsavljevic and whether the teenager can turn a difficult draw into a breakthrough moment.
Phil Naessens is a tennis betting analyst and former tennis coach with decades of experience in player development and match analysis. He is the founder of Crush Rush News and host of the Crush & Rush Tennis Podcast, focusing on price-first betting strategy, market efficiency, and transparency in sports wagering.
