Stevenson and Willis at Queen’s Club used home advantage and reached the last eight pairs
The British pair David Stevenson and Marcus Willis achieved a valuable progression at the ATP 500 tournament HSBC Championships at London’s Queen’s Club, defeating in the round of 16, that is, the first round of the main doubles draw, Hugo Nys and Édouard Roger-Vasselin 6:4, 7:6(3). According to ESPN’s results display for men’s doubles in London, the match was played on Court 1 and was concluded in two sets, with Stevenson and Willis breaking open the second set in the tie-break. SofaScore states that the duel began on June 17, 2026 at 15:20 UTC, on the grass surface at Queen’s Club. With that, the British combination continued competing at one of the most prestigious tournaments of the grass-court season, in a week in which London is at the center of preparations for Wimbledon. The victory is especially valuable because it was achieved against an experienced Monegasque-French pair that has considerably greater experience in doubles competition at the biggest tournaments.
Stevenson and Willis entered the match as a wild-card pair, which is marked next to their names in the SofaScore results. Such status further emphasizes the importance of the victory, because the home representatives had to make use of a limited opportunity at a tournament of a high ATP category. In doubles tennis, where several points often decide the direction of the entire match, success against Nys and Roger-Vasselin was not only a matter of atmosphere and support from the stands, but also of very concrete execution in service games. According to the available SofaScore statistics, the British pair won 71 points, while their opponents finished on 62 points. The difference is not huge, but it was sufficient for the first set to be decided by one break, and the second by more controlled play in the decisive tie-break.
The first set was decided by one break and a safer start from the British pair
In the first set Stevenson and Willis quickly established a rhythm that allowed them to rely on their serve and short points. The final 6:4 shows that there was no room for a longer period of oscillations, because in doubles competition one lost service game often means a lost set as well. According to SofaScore statistics, Stevenson and Willis converted the only break point they created, while Nys and Roger-Vasselin did not convert any of their opportunities to take the serve. The British pair also saved all three break points they faced, which was one of the key indicators of stability in the most sensitive moments. Nys and Roger-Vasselin were also close on return, but without a concrete effect on the scoreboard.
In such an outcome, the first set had a clear logic: Stevenson and Willis made better use of the only bigger crack in the opponents’ game. Nys and Roger-Vasselin were not far from coming back, but they failed to turn pressure into a break. On the grass of Queen’s Club, where the point is often shortened immediately after the serve or first volley, such a miss is especially costly. The British pair held the advantage until the end of the set, without the need for additional risk. That allowed them to enter the continuation with a scoreboard advantage and greater freedom in their net play.
Serve, second shot and tie-break were decisive in the continuation
The second set brought the expected tougher resistance from Nys and Roger-Vasselin, but it did not change the basic balance of power. According to SofaScore data, both pairs had the same first-serve percentage, 64 percent, but Stevenson and Willis were more effective after both serves. The British combination won 79 percent of points after the first serve, while Nys and Roger-Vasselin were at 72 percent on the same sample. An even more important difference appeared after the second serve: Stevenson and Willis won 67 percent of such points, and their opponents 58 percent. In a match in which there are not many long exchanges, such numbers explain why the British players had a calmer entry into the closing stage.
The tie-break of the second set ended 7:3 for Stevenson and Willis, according to the result published by ESPN. In that segment the difference in stability on the opening shot and in the first volleys after the serve especially came to the fore. Stevenson and Willis did not allow missed opportunities from games to turn into pressure that would take them into a third set, but instead quickly built an advantage and guarded it until the end. Nys and Roger-Vasselin, who in doubles are accustomed to playing matches decided by details, this time did not find enough return solutions in the key points. The finish therefore went to the side of the pair that throughout the entire match was more effective in service situations.
The numbers confirm control in the most important moments
According to SofaScore statistics, Stevenson and Willis finished the match with 11 aces, while Nys and Roger-Vasselin had six. The British pair made two double faults, and their opponents five, which in an even match further increased the difference in security. Especially important is the fact that Stevenson and Willis won 49 points on serve, and Nys and Roger-Vasselin 45, while on return the British pair had 22 points won compared with the opponents’ 17. This does not point to complete domination, but to a better distribution of quality in the key phases. In practice, that meant that the home representatives more often reached the point that opened the game for them or closed down pressure.
SofaScore also records that Stevenson and Willis won 41 percent of points on the opponents’ second serve, while Nys and Roger-Vasselin won 33 percent of points on the Britons’ second serve. Precisely that segment is often decisive in doubles on grass, because the second serve gives the returner somewhat more time for an aggressive entry into the point. Stevenson and Willis used that space more effectively, not necessarily with constant winners, but with pressure that forced their opponents into harder volleys and more uncomfortable decisions. In addition, the British pair did not lose a single service game, which confirms that the basic plan was well executed. When one adds to that the only break in the first set and the safer tie-break in the second, the result 6:4, 7:6(3) reflects a more stable performance throughout the entire match.
Queen’s Club remains an important stop of the grass-court season
In its tournament preview, the ATP Tour states that the men’s part of the HSBC Championships 2026 is played from June 15 to 21 and that it is an ATP 500 tournament on grass at London’s Queen’s Club. The same source points out that the tournament was founded in 1969 in the current professional era and that its director is Jamie Murray. The LTA in its preview states that Queen’s Club hosts both WTA 500 and ATP 500 competitions and that it is one of the most prestigious events in the tennis calendar. According to the LTA, the complex in west London can accommodate up to 17,000 spectators per day and has 28 grass courts. Such context explains why a doubles victory, although it is not always in the public foreground, carries significant sporting weight for players seeking a breakthrough at a higher level.
Queen’s Club is traditionally one of the most important tests before Wimbledon. The grass surface rewards quick reaction, low movement, service precision and the quality of net play, elements that are even more pronounced in doubles than in singles competition. For the 2026 edition, the ATP listed the total prize money of the men’s tournament at 2,583,330 euros, which further shows the status of the tournament in the calendar. Although doubles often receive less media space, matches at Queen’s are important both because of points and because of rhythm ahead of the continuation of the grass-court season. For Stevenson and Willis, this is therefore a result that has value even beyond the mere progression to the quarterfinals.
The experienced opponents did not find an answer to British pressure
Hugo Nys and Édouard Roger-Vasselin arrived in London as a pair with recognizable experience in doubles competition. According to Tennis Explorer, before Queen’s in 2026 the duo played the Roland-Garros quarterfinal, where they were stopped by Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos. The same source also records that Nys and Roger-Vasselin in the 2025 grass-court season played against Stevenson and Willis precisely at Queen’s Club, also in the round of 16, and then lost after a decisive match tie-break. This year’s encounter therefore was not a completely isolated duel, but a continuation of an interesting head-to-head relationship in which the British pair again found a more effective model of play on grass. The difference was that this time the victory came without the need for a deciding set or match tie-break.
For Nys and Roger-Vasselin, the defeat means an early end to their appearance in London, but also a reminder of how sensitive grass-court doubles competition is to small shifts in serve and return. Roger-Vasselin, a long-time doubles specialist, and Nys, who competes under the flag of Monaco, have enough experience to decide such matches in their favor. Still, in this encounter they did not enter their opponents’ service games often enough with a real possibility of a break. Even when they reached break points, the British pair responded with precise serves and fast closing of the net. In that way Nys and Roger-Vasselin lost the scenario in which the second set would have turned the course of the match.
The British combination received additional confirmation of form
The victory at Queen’s Club comes at a favorable moment for Stevenson and Willis. Tennis Explorer in its overview of their results records a string of victories ahead of the London appearance, including success at the Ilkley Challenger a few days before the match with Nys and Roger-Vasselin. Such a streak on grass is important because the rhythm of the surface is built not only through training, but also through competitive points under pressure. Stevenson and Willis in London showed that their game can be transferred to a stronger level of competition, against a pair used to big stages. That is especially important for a pair that entered the draw with a wild card and for whom every such result can open additional opportunities.
Willis has for years been known as a player who handles grass well, and Stevenson in this match imposed himself as a reliable partner in service and return patterns. Their combination did not rely only on support from the crowd, but on a clear structure of points: a firm first serve, aggressive movement to the net and a sufficiently bold return on the opponents’ second serve. In doubles, such simplicity often proves more effective than trying to overcomplicate points. Against Nys and Roger-Vasselin that was visible in the way the British players closed games after an initial advantage. In the closing stage of the second set they did not allow the opportunity to progress to pressure them, but played the tie-break as a continuation of their previous control.
A progression that can have a broader effect for the continuation of the tournament
Entry among the last eight pairs at an ATP 500 tournament brings not only the continuation of competition, but also a greater competitive challenge in a part of the draw in which every next match carries considerably greater weight. According to the ATP tournament schedule, the doubles final at Queen’s Club is scheduled for June 21, after the singles final. That means that pairs who have passed the first round will have to quickly restore energy and adapt to a schedule that can change depending on weather conditions and the length of previous encounters. For Stevenson and Willis, the most important thing is that they passed the first obstacle without a third set, which can be significant in a week in which points and fatigue add up from day to day. In doubles competition, such energy saving is often just as important as the victory itself.
According to the available posts at the time of preparing the text, the opponent of Stevenson and Willis in the next round was not unequivocally confirmed in all publicly available results overviews. Still, the basic sporting picture is clear: the British pair defeated opponents with greater international experience, did not lose serve in the process and showed more calm in the most important points. In a tournament played on grass and in the immediate vicinity of Wimbledon, such a result can have additional psychological value. Stevenson and Willis now enter the continuation of Queen’s with proof that they can win even when the margin between success and defeat is very narrow. Their London appearance has thereby already gained clear sporting weight, regardless of how far they will go in the rest of the week.
Sources:
- ESPN – results display of men’s doubles at the HSBC Championships 2026, including the result of the match Stevenson/Willis against Nys/Roger-Vasselin (link)
- SofaScore – match profile, start time, court, surface and match statistics for Stevenson/Willis against Nys/Roger-Vasselin (link)
- ATP Tour – preview and basic information about the HSBC Championships 2026, including category, dates, schedule and prize money (link)
- LTA – official tournament preview with information about schedule, location, WTA 500 and ATP 500 event status, and Queen’s Club capacity and courts (link)
- The Queen’s Club – information on the club’s role as host, HSBC title sponsorship and tournament organization in cooperation with the LTA (link)
- Tennis Explorer – overview of head-to-head meetings and recent results of the pairs Stevenson/Willis and Nys/Roger-Vasselin (link)