One of the more amusing sights at the Queen\u2019s Club tournament each year comes before even entering the grounds. On the first day of play on Monday, a deluge of spectators invariably descend on Barons Court station, just 150 metres from the entrance.<\/p>\n
So many people passing through a tiny London Underground station naturally means long queues at the barriers. That congestion is not helped by many of them comically pausing in front of the gates to frantically search for their debit cards or desperately try to unlock their phones.<\/p>\n
The Queen\u2019s Club crowd may not exactly be the target audience of the LTA\u2019s mission to open up the sport to all parts of society, but the attendance each year is truly impressive.<\/p>\n
This year, general sale tickets for the men\u2019s event sold out in less than a day. Its enduring popularity has felt even more significant over the past week given one of its weakest fields with just one top 10 player, Alex de Minaur, in the draw.<\/p>\n
It is the latest example of the injury crisis that has swept the men\u2019s tour over the past year, with so many young players dealing with significant injuries. The absences of Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> and Jack Draper were particularly huge blows, but injuries to Lorenzo Musetti, Rafael J\u00f3dar and Holger Rune also weakened the draw.<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s more comprehensive tax laws for international players also mean the Halle tournament, which had seven of the top 11 players this week, will hold an advantage over London for years to come.<\/p>\n The understated nature of the men\u2019s event has only further highlighted the wild success of the women\u2019s event, which exploded into action a week earlier as the site of one of the most significant stories of the year with the return of Serena Williams<\/a> to doubles alongside Victoria Mboko, after four years in retirement.<\/p>\n Emma Raducanu kept home hopes alive with her run to the final at Queen\u2019s Club. Photograph: Adam Davy\/PA<\/p>\n That spectacle ended on a sad note, with Mboko slipping badly in her first-round match and tearing a medial collateral ligament. Still, as the event progressed, it showcased two of the more impressive days for British players over the past few years as Katie Boulter toppled Elena Rybakina, the world No 2 and reigning Australian Open champion, to reach the semi-finals. That was before Emma Raducanu won two matches in a day to reach her biggest final<\/a> since winning the US Open in 2021.<\/p>\n The LTA can often serve as a punchbag for all sorts of frustrations within British tennis, the latest being the decision not to award the defending champion Tatjana Maria a main draw wildcard, so it is important to commend the organisation when it gets things right. It was a brilliant choice to finally bring women\u2019s tennis back to Queen\u2019s after a 52-year absence and in spectacular fashion.<\/p>\n The organisers certainly had to navigate some tricky issues. Not all members at the Queen\u2019s Club, which functions as a private tennis club for about 49 weeks of the year, were pleased with the prospect of another week of professional players encroaching on their turf. Others, meanwhile, had legitimate concerns about British tennis being too London-centric. There were smaller questions about whether the men would object to playing on courts with a week of wear and tear.<\/p>\n Quick GuideFritz rallies past Zverev to seal Halle final spotShow<\/p>\n Alexander Zverev was knocked out of \u2060the Halle Open after a battling three-set defeat by American \u2060Taylor Fritz in \u2060the semi-finals on Saturday.<\/p>\n The world No 3 and top seed, fresh off his maiden \u2060grand slam title at the French Open, lost 6-7 (4) 6-4 7-5 in \u2060a match lasting two hours and 39 minutes.<\/p>\n The German, a \u200cfinalist at \u200cHalle in 2016 and 2017, entered the \u200cmatch with a poor recent record against Fritz, having lost his previous six meetings with the American. He made a strong start, securing an early break, but Fritz \u200cresponded to force a tie-break, which Zverev won.<\/p>\n Fritz hit back in the second set, turning the momentum decisively in his favour by winning 12 consecutive points and levelling the match.<\/p>\n In the decider Fritz produced a late break to seal victory and book his \u200cplace in the final. He will face Germany\u2019s Daniel Altmaier or fellow American Frances Tiafoe in Sunday\u2019s final.<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s edition was a great success, but any lingering reservations this year were surely dismissed by the sight of Williams marching out on to the court for the first time in her career.<\/p>\n Between Williams, Raducanu and Boulter, last week played out as a series of joyful moments in west London and the atmosphere in each of their matches was unforgettable. Donna Vekic, a lucky loser, eventually defeated Raducanu to lift the biggest title of her career.<\/p>\n Women\u2019s tennis is the most successful women\u2019s sport in the world, but not all events attract great crowds. Here, the women\u2019s tournament sold more than 70,000 tickets and was at 98% capacity during the whole week, selling out on five of its seven days. Some 9,000 fans packing out the stadium each day, even in the middle of working days, was a magnificent sight.<\/p>\n