Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka have both pulled out of Queen's just days before the event gets underway in London. It will come as a major blow to organisers, most notably tournament director Laura Robson, as the Queen's Club welcomes back a women's WTA 500 event for the first time in over 50 years.

The tournament kicks off this Saturday and finishes on June 22, but fans will have been left disappointed by the withdrawal of two of the top female stars.

A statement from the tournament read: "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."

Their withdrawals follow their campaigns at the French Open, which both ended in disappointing fashion at Roland Garros. Osaka was defeated in the opening round after a three-set defeat to Paula Badosa.

Meanwhile, current world No. 3 Pegula was stunned by home favourite Lois Boisson - ranked 361st - in the fourth round. The Frenchwoman has gone on an extraordinary run in Paris, setting up an enthralling semi-final showdown against Coco Gauff later today.

Meanwhile, Queen's starts up the grass-court swing this year as players get vital preparation in ahead of Wimbledon, which begins on June 30.

Osaka was one of six Grand Slam champions on the women's side who was scheduled to hit the grass at Queen's, earning a wildcard alongside British favourite Emma Raducanu.

Fellow Grand Slam champions Madison Keys, Barbora Krejcikova, Elena Rybakina all earned their spot in the event via direct entry. Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova entered via special ranking as she continues her comeback following maternity leave.

It is a star-studded event in London, with plenty of other big names in the draw - despite the withdrawals of both Osaka and Pegula.

Three top-10 players are competing, including Keys, Qinwen Zheng and Emma Navarro. They are joined by Grand Slam finalists Karolina Muchova and Leylah Fernandez, while Raducanu's fellow Brit Katie Boulter will be determined for a deep run.

And former British tennis star Robson, now serving as tournament director, is hoping the event will have a wide-reaching impact. She told BBC Sport in February: "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 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."