Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula out: Queen's Club return hit with major withdrawals

Organisers of the Queen’s Club Championships have been dealt a significant setback just days before the tournament’s long-awaited women’s return, with top stars Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula withdrawing from the WTA 500 event.

The grass-court tournament, which officially begins this Saturday and runs until June 22, is hosting a women’s draw for the first time in over half a century. Expectations were high, but fans will now be left disappointed by the late exits of two of the sport’s biggest names.

A statement from the tournament confirmed: “Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka withdraw from HSBC Championships. We hope to see both Naomi and Jessica back on court soon and at The Queen's Club in 2026.”

Both players arrive at Queen’s off the back of underwhelming French Open campaigns. Osaka, who was granted a wildcard for Queen’s, fell in the opening round at Roland Garros to Paula Badosa in a tight three-set battle. Pegula, the current world No. 3 and one of the event’s top seeds, suffered a shock fourth-round defeat to France’s Lois Boisson - ranked 361st in the world - who has since progressed to the semi-finals.

Osaka had been one of six Grand Slam champions in the women’s Queen’s line-up, alongside fellow titleholders Madison Keys, Barbora Krejcikova, Elena Rybakina, Petra Kvitova, and British wildcard Emma Raducanu. Despite her absence, the draw still features a star-studded field, with three current top-10 players Madison Keys, Qinwen Zheng, and Emma Navarro all set to compete.

Also in the mix are Grand Slam finalists Karolina Muchova and Leylah Fernandez, as well as British No. 1 Katie Boulter, who will look to make an impact on home turf.

Tournament director Laura Robson, a former British No. 1 herself, has championed the return of elite women’s tennis to the iconic London venue. Speaking to BBC Sport earlier this year, Robson said: "The chance to have a women's event in London, new faces coming in, new audiences, new commercial opportunities, hopefully it gets a huge reach and grows the women's game even more and we begin that history that the men's event has.".

The former Junior Wimbledon champion also said: "The players are excited about this event, the LTA are excited and the club is as well. In my mind it's certainly something that can build year on year and we see it hopefully being as prestigious as the men's event in the history that it has and what we can bring to the women's game.".

Despite the disappointing withdrawals, Queen’s will still serve as a key stop on the grass-court calendar as players prepare for Wimbledon, which starts on June 30. The inaugural women's return may have lost two headline acts, but the spotlight now shifts to the rising stars and Grand Slam contenders ready to seize the moment.