The women’s tournament at the Queen’s Club Championships is getting a major financial lift this summer, with prize money rising by 35 per cent .

The total pot climbs to $1.915 million (£1.43m), an increase of half a million dollars as organisers continue working toward equal prize money across the women’s and men’s events, which are held back to back in June.

The men’s tournament at Queen’s will offer €2.583 million (£2.238m) this year, keeping a clear gap between the two events for now, though organisers have set a target of achieving parity by 2029.

Even with the increase, the women’s event now sits well above the minimum requirement for a WTA 500 tournament and is expected to be one of the most lucrative stops on that level this season.

Strong early demand has already seen more than 9o per cent of tickets sold for the women’s draw, which begins on June 8^th , following last year’s return of women’s tennis to Queen’s for the first time since 1973, when Tatjana Maria lifted the title.

Elsewhere, prize money for the WTA 250 event in Eastbourne International will also rise by 28%, continuing a broader push across the grass court swing ahead of Wimbledon.