In the latest edition of Second Serve, our weekly snapshot of the tours, BBC tennis reporter Jonathan Jurejko looks at the rise of Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool following their Queen’s victory.
A historic triumph in the quaint surroundings of Queen’s Club showed how the British doubles scene remains in rude health as Wimbledon approaches.
Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool might not be as well known as some of their peers, but they are the in-form British pairing this year.
Cash, 28, and Glasspool, 31, had already won two ATP Tour titles in 2025 but this one – on home turf for two players who live in south-west London – is the sweetest.
The pair, who only teamed up last year, are the first all-British team to lift the Queen’s title in the Open era.
The success on Sunday is another feather in the cap for the nation’s doubles guru Louis Cayer, who has transformed the quality and depth of the discipline since joining the LTA in 2007.
“The system we play our tennis under – in terms of tactics and the way we want to play – is very much aligned. It’s a philosophy,” Glasspool told BBC Sport.
The synchronisation in their patterns and positioning was clear in Cash and Glasspool’s title-winning match over Michael Venus and Nikola Mektic, as well as the ability of both Britons to hit big and bold serves in the key moments.
Forging a successful doubles partnership often comes down to circumstance and timing.
Cash and Glasspool have known each other for several years, but they ended up together after both splitting with their previous full-time partners Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara – who paired up and won Wimbledon last year.
“[Ending partnerships] is always difficult, but you can’t forget this is a business as well,” said Cash, who only started playing doubles full-time in 2022 after coming through the United States college system.
“You have to do what is best for yourself – it has showed it was better for both Henry and I to go our separate ways.
“We all still get on really well. Seeing the other Britons doing well and winning Grand Slams is definitely pushing everyone on.”
The most significant move in the ATP rankings this week saw Jack Draper regain his spot as world number four.
Reaching the Queen’s semi-finals helped Draper move back to his career-high position and ensured he will be seeded fourth at Wimbledon next week.
Why is that important? It means Draper will avoid the top two seeds Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – who have won the past six majors between them – until at least the semi-finals, should the British number one get that far.
Former world number one Daniil Medvedev has moved back into the top 10 after reaching the Halle final, while Alexander Bublik – who won the title – has reclaimed a spot in the top 30.