Emma Raducanu beat Anna Blinkova 6-0, 6-3 in the opening round of the Queen's Club grass-court tournament on June 9, marking her first match win since March 6 this year [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Raducanu, 23, had been sidelined for over two months due to a post-viral illness that disrupted her 2026 season [1, 3, 4, 5].
Her last victory before Queen's came at Indian Wells, where she defeated Anastasia Zakharova on March 6 [1, 3, 4, 5]. Since returning from illness, Raducanu lost both her clay-court matches of the season, including an opening-round exit at the French Open [1, 5].
Raducanu showed confidence and an offensive approach against Blinkova, moving well and enjoying her time on court. "The way I was moving, the way I was expressing, just the whole package, not necessarily the tennis, just how I was acting on the court, I really enjoyed it," she said [3, 4, 5]. She added, "I'm so happy to have come through that match. To be back here playing at Queen's... I haven't actually won a match for a few months and there isn't a place I would rather have done it. I'm really grateful for all the support" [1].
Raducanu reunited with her former coach Andrew Richardson ahead of the grass-court season and credited consistent training for her improvements. "We have been working day in, day out, since I started training again, and even throughout the clay season we have been working and putting good shifts in each day. You don’t know when it’s going to pay off. It’s work that’s compounded over the last few weeks," she said [5].
Her current world ranking is 42 as she prepares for Wimbledon [5]. She will face either Sorana Cirstea or Mad in the tournament’s next round [1, 3, 4, 5].
Meanwhile, British player Jack Draper withdrew from the upcoming Queen's ATP event due to ongoing recovery from a knee injury [5]. Katie Boulter advanced to the second round by defeating Leylah Fernandez [5].
