Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter live: Tennis scores from Queen’s Club doubles quarter-final

The No 1 seeds have no reply to a brilliant serve down the T by Raducanu.

Kichenok fires long on the next rally, but despite doing well to keep the ball in play, returning several smashes, ‘Boultercanu’ send the ball sailing out.

But a couple of errors from their opponents mean a first hold of this match for the British pair.

What a point! The crowd show their appreciation as Raducanu and Boulter cling on in a rally, digging deep to send back every ball, with Boulter doing well to dig out a low shot and force their opponents to net.

So far Routliffe and Kichenok are employing the serve and volley to great effect, suffocating the Brits at the net. Kichenok slams away another one to back up their break.

Kichenok and Routliffe are the top seeds at Queen’s and they’re already making life difficult for the Brits. Kichenok thumps a winner down the line for a 15-30 lead – and they have their own chance to break as Boulter double faults.

And they seal it as Routliffe blasts a smash down the centre to lead 2-0. The Brits have their work cut out here against an accomplished doubles pairing.

A couple of overhits by Routliffe and Kichenok hand the Brits a 0-30 lead in this first game.

A baseline volley by Boulter loops long, but the Brits are all smiles regardless, and a fabulous drive by Boulter down the centre of the court gives the Brits an early chance to break.

But the pair get in a mix-up at the back of the court, both going for a shot, and Routliffe puts away a volley for deuce!

Boulter thumps a return into the net and that’s the hold for Kichenok. A reminder that doubles here is played with no-ad serving, i.e. the point following a deuce decides the game.

Underway on Court One! Kichenok to serve first.

The players are walking out on court and should be underway fairly shortly.

It’s an overcast day in west London, but fortunately dry, with a chance of the sun peeking out later. Both Brits are in long sleeves with their opponents much more tropically dressed!

In case you missed it, a certain legend of British tennis was on hand at the start of this week to inaugurate the first women’s tournament in more than half a century at Queen’s:

Two weeks on from Rafael Nadal’s triumphant return to Roland-Garros, another grand slam champion returned to the site of his greatest success.

Andy Murray’s return to Queen’s Club, where he won a record five titles, was much more low-key. There was no emotional speech, just some banter about his growing prowess at golf; a brief knockabout with tournament director and former doubles partner Laura Robson, and two youth ambassadors, 10-year-old Gloria and seven-year-old Jay, instead of a photo opportunity with the rest of the ‘Big Four’. “My tennis is diabolical nowadays,” he joked, “apologies for what you’re about to witness!”

“This tournament and this court has had many special moments for me,” he added. “It was my most successful event, I always loved coming back. I’m very grateful for whoever it was who decided to name the stadium!”

For a venue steeped in pomp and splendour – an old-school members’ spot constantly eyeing ways to refresh – there is something new coming this week at Queen’s Club. For the first time in 52 years, the women take centre stage on the pristine grass courts in the high-flying west London neighbourhood.

The last time a women’s event was played at Queen’s, under the title of the 1973 London Grass Court Championships, Russian player Olga Morozova won the singles title. And a matter of months before she won the famous “Battle of the Sexes” contest against Bobby Riggs in Houston, which catapulted women’s tennis into the mainstream, Billie Jean King won the doubles at Queen’s alongside fellow American Rosie Casals.

Times have clearly changed, but the sprinkling of top-tier stardust has not. For tournament director Laura Robson, the former world No 27 and Wimbledon junior champion, attracting the biggest names in the game was a process which started last year. Australian Open champion and close friend Madison Keys has clearly spread the word, with 10 of the world’s top-20 signing up to play.

Boulter had a tougher day of it yesterday but made it four Brits into the second round, after wins for Sonay Kartal and Heather Watson earlier.

The British No 1 battled through her grass court singles season opener to claim a 7-6 (4) 1-6 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic.

Emma Raducanu got her singles campaign underway yesterday with a straightforward win over Cristina Bucsa. Here’s what Kieran Jackson had to say on the encounter:

As starts to the British summer go, it doesn’t get much better than an hour in-and-out under the west London sun. Refreshed and rejuvenated after a two-week break following the French Open – and a thrashing at the hands of Iga Swiatek – Emma Raducanu has all her sights set on a prosperous month with the pristine grass under her feet. And here at Queen’s Club, sporting a claret outfit, she did not let slip a purple patch on court.

Will there be bigger tests than world No 112 Cristina Bucsa? Of course. A fortuitous draw still needs capitalising on, though, and Raducanu excelled and looked supremely at home in a 6-1, 6-2 demolition job. Yet, most strikingly of all, in a year which included a horrendous stalking ordeal, was how much she seemed to enjoy the limelight once again.