Mannarino knocks out third seed Mensik in the first round of Queen’s after a major comeback
London, 17 June 2026 - Adrian Mannarino reached the first round of the ATP tournament HSBC Championships at London’s Queen’s Club after defeating Jakub Mensik 5:7, 7:6(3), 7:6(5). The French tennis player turned around a match in which he had lost the first set, then won two consecutive tie-breaks and eliminated the tournament’s third seed. According to the official ATP Tour scoreboard, the match was played on Tuesday, 16 June, on Andy Murray Arena, lasted two hours, 41 minutes and 57 seconds, and the chair umpire was Alison Hughes. The result is especially significant because Mensik was placed in the draw as one of the main candidates for a deep run in a week that traditionally serves as important preparation for Wimbledon. Mannarino, according to the announcement by the organizers and the LTA, secured a place in the second round of Queen’s for the seventh time in his career.
Comeback after a lost lead in the first set
The match had an unusual rhythm already in the first set, in which Mannarino early on looked like the player in control of the encounter. According to the LTA report, the 37-year-old Frenchman had a 5:1 lead but failed to convert it into winning the set. Mensik then strung together a run of games, took advantage of his opponent’s drop in concentration and reached the set 7:5, thereby overturning the initial dynamic of the match. Such an outcome could have hit Mannarino hard because in a short period he lost an advantage that on grass, especially against a highly seeded player, is usually enough for a calmer closing of the set. Still, the continuation of the match showed that the Frenchman managed to stay within the tactical framework that suits him: flat shots, shortening the rallies, reading the opponent’s serve and a willingness to play riskier finishing shots at moments when Mensik was taking the initiative.
The start of the second set further emphasized the difficulty of the task facing Mannarino. The LTA states that, after letting slip 5:1 in the first part, he quickly fell behind 0:2 in the second set and at that moment had a run of eight lost games. In such circumstances the match could have moved toward a convincing victory for Mensik, but Mannarino gradually reduced the number of errors and put the pressure back on the Czech tennis player’s serve. On the grass surface at Queen’s Club, a few points often change the overall impression of a set, and it was precisely the Frenchman who distributed the risk better in the continuation. The second set was not decided by a break, but by a tie-break, in which Mannarino was more precise, calmer in shorter rallies and determined enough to level the match with a 7:6(3) win.
Two tie-breaks decided the match on Andy Murray Arena
The deciding set continued the pattern in which nuances mattered more than long periods of dominance. The ATP’s official record confirms that Mannarino won the third set 7:6(5), after neither player managed to create a difference sufficient for a calm finish. Mensik still had the power of the first strike and the status of a seed, but the Frenchman showed in the closing stages what has made him an uncomfortable opponent on grass for years: a low ball trajectory, taking time away from his opponent early and the ability to change rhythm without a long backswing. When the match entered a second consecutive tie-break, experience became an important part of the story. Mannarino maintained stability and, according to the LTA, sealed the victory with a clean diagonal volley across the court, which was his 32nd winner of the match.
Such a finish describes the character of the victory well. Mannarino did not celebrate only because he withstood the pressure, but also because at the key moments he remained ready to attack, although for much of the match he had to repair the consequences of the first set. Mensik had the chance to confirm his status as the third seed and continue a run of good results from the season so far, but at Queen’s he failed to close out the match after winning the first set. In the closing stages of the third set, the combination of experience, composure and the ability to finish the point at the net at the moment when the risk was greatest proved decisive. For Mannarino, this is a victory that goes beyond merely reaching the second round because it came against a seeded player, after losing a large lead and through two sets decided by additional play.
Mensik stopped at the very start despite the role of third seed
Jakub Mensik arrived in London as the third seed, which made his defeat one of the more notable results of the second day of the men’s part of the tournament. The ATP draw and scoreboard list the encounter as a first-round match, that is, Round of 32, and the LTA described it as an early exit of one of the seeds from the tournament. The Czech tennis player had scoreboard momentum after the first set and an early break in the second, but he failed to maintain the line that had brought him the lead. On grass, such missed moments are punished quickly because the number of return games is limited, and a player who allows his opponent to enter a tie-break often has to accept a match in which psychological balance becomes as important as serve statistics. In that part, Mannarino made use of what comes from the experience of a large number of matches on grass courts.
Mensik’s defeat further opened up that part of the draw. According to the ATP results schedule from 16 June, on the same day in London first seed Alex de Minaur, second seed Jiri Lehecka, fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and seventh seed Francisco Cerundolo also advanced. In such an environment, the third seed falling immediately in his first appearance disrupted the expected order in the upper part of the tournament. Mensik had enough chances to confirm the role of favorite, but his performance will remain marked by the fact that after the comeback in the first set he allowed his opponent to return to the match and seize the final initiative in both tie-breaks. For Queen’s, a tournament where the balance between serve, transition to the net and the low ball becomes visible especially quickly, it was a reminder that seeded status on grass often has to be confirmed in just a few decisive points.
Mannarino in the second round against Arthur Fery
Adrian Mannarino’s next opponent will be Arthur Fery, a British tennis player with a wild card from the organizers. The LTA states that Fery, in an all-British duel on Court 1, defeated Toby Samuel 6:0, 6:2 in one hour and two minutes, thereby securing the second round in his main draw at Queen’s Club. According to the same report, Fery played a very clean match, hit 15 winners and lost only nine points on serve. This means that Mannarino will in the next round play against an opponent who arrives with a convincing victory, the support of the home crowd and less physical energy spent after his first appearance. On the other hand, the Frenchman enters that encounter with a major victory and proof that he can withstand a high-pressure match.
Tactically speaking, the duel between Mannarino and Fery may bring a different rhythm from the encounter with Mensik. Fery, against Samuel, according to LTA data, had a dominant serving performance, while Mannarino will try to impose play with a low trajectory and by taking time away from his opponent. On grass, the Frenchman often does not depend on a large number of aces, but on not allowing his opponent a comfortable strike height after the bounce. Precisely that style came to the fore against Mensik at moments when the point had to be shortened or redirected toward the net. If he maintains the level from the closing stages of the first round, Mannarino will have a realistic chance in his second appearance to continue the run, but he will have to avoid the fluctuations that in the first set almost completely turned the match in his opponent’s favor.
Queen’s remains a key stop of the grass season
The HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club is one of the most important tournaments in the short grass season. According to the ATP Tour, the men’s ATP 500 tournament in London in 2026 is held from 15 to 21 June on the grass courts of The Queen’s Club, and the tournament director is Jamie Murray. The LTA states that this year’s edition of the HSBC Championships in total extends from 6 to 21 June, with WTA and ATP 500 programs, giving the London tournament a broader two-week format. The same organizer describes the tournament as one of the longest-running competitions on grass, founded in 1889 and held in West Kensington. Because of its position in the calendar immediately before Wimbledon, Queen’s has special importance for players who want to test movement, serve, the rhythm of transitions to the net and adaptation to low bounces after the end of the clay season.
With victory over Mensik, Mannarino therefore gained more than passage to the second round. He gained a match confirming that his style can still be very uncomfortable in London conditions, even against younger and highly seeded players. During his career, the Frenchman has often looked his best when he could use the speed of the surface to shorten his swing and speed up decision-making in the point. In that sense, Queen’s offers him a natural environment, but at the same time it does not forgive lapses in concentration such as the one in the first set. That is exactly why this victory has a double message: it shows his resilience after a major scoreboard collapse, but also warns that a more stable entry into the closing stages of sets will be needed for the continuation of the tournament.
A day of comebacks and confirmation of favorites in London
Mannarino was not the only player who on 16 June had to seek a path through a demanding match, but his result was the most direct blow to the seeded order. According to the LTA, first seed Alex de Minaur opened his campaign with a victory against Gabriel Diallo 7:6(8), 6:3, after returning in the first set from a deficit of two breaks and saving two set points in the tie-break. The ATP scoreboard also confirms the victory of Jiri Lehecka, the second seed, against Kamil Majchrzak 7:5, 7:6(4). Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the fourth seed, knocked out Cameron Norrie 7:6(6), 6:2, and Francisco Cerundolo, as the seventh seed, advanced against lucky loser Aleksandar Kovacevic after three sets. In that company, Mannarino’s victory stands out especially because it was not expected given Mensik’s seeded position and the course of the first part of the duel.
The broader context of the day shows how demanding Queen’s is for players who are only just moving onto grass. The serve can bring quick games, but returning to rhythm after losing a lead is not simple because every break is rarer and therefore more valuable. Mannarino lost in the first set an advantage that would also have been a serious blow on many other surfaces, but on grass it could have meant almost the complete collapse of the match. Instead, he found enough stability on return and in short rallies to force Mensik into two sets decided by additional play. That ultimately was the difference between an early exit and a victory that will be mentioned in the closing stages of the tournament week as one of the more striking moments of the first round.
Experience as the answer to pressure
The most important element of Mannarino’s performance was the way he reacted after a lost run of games. According to the LTA’s description, the Frenchman after 5:1 in the first set and 0:2 in the second set could have been completely knocked off balance, but instead he gradually regained control over the basic pattern of play. His victory was not the result of one short burst, but of a series of adjustments through the second and third sets. In both tie-breaks he knew where he had to take risk and where it was more important to force Mensik to play an extra shot. The final volley, with which according to the LTA report he reached his 32nd direct point, symbolically rounded off a match in which the more experienced player decided not to wait for an error, but to finish the point himself.
For Mensik, the defeat will be difficult because in it he had more than one moment of control. He won the first set after a major comeback, opened the second set with a break and had the chance to confirm the role of favorite. Still, at this level the difference between advancing and going out often comes down to a few points in a tie-break, and at Queen’s that rule is even more pronounced because of the speed of the surface and the small margin for a comeback. Mannarino used that margin better. His 5:7, 7:6(3), 7:6(5) victory is therefore not only a statistical comeback, but an example of a match in which experience survived the surge of the younger seed and turned a tense finish into progress.
Sources:
- ATP Tour – official results of the London / Queen’s Club tournament, including the score, match duration, court and umpire (link)
- LTA / HSBC Championships – report on the results and events of the second day, including a description of Mannarino’s comeback, his next opponent and the results of other matches (link)
- ATP Tour – preview of the HSBC Championships 2026 tournament, dates, category, surface, location and basic tournament context (link)
- LTA / HSBC Championships – official tournament profile, location, history and format of the 2026 edition (link)