British No 1 Emma Raducanu’s five-year wait for second title continues after straight-sets Queen’s final loss to Donna Vekic
Emma Raducanu’s promising Queen’s final run was derailed by a thigh injury that left her unable to move freely and ultimately cost her a first title on home soil. The British No 1, battling a strain sustained during a demanding Saturday double-header, went down 6‑0, 7‑6 to Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the HSBC Championships final at The Queen’s Club.
Injury’s Impact on Performance
The damage was done in the quarter‑finals. Raducanu slipped while playing Kamilla Rakhimova and tweaked her thigh. The leg was strapped for the semi‑final against Iva Jovic, which she won three hours later, and although she practised without the strapping on Sunday morning there was initial optimism, the support was back on for the final. The first few games vanished in a flash – Vekic, an aggressive grass‑court specialist, broke early – but once rallies developed it became clear how debilitated Raducanu was. She could not get close to balls directed into the corners and, crucially, could not get low on her backhand side, a shot she had hit winners from with both knees almost on the grass all week. After the first set the physio removed the strapping, and the change brought an uptick. Raducanu’s first game on the board in the second set was greeted with wild cheers, and she broke Vekic after a string of deuces. Pumping herself up and roaring to the crowd, she took a 5‑2 lead, but Vekic kept coming, breaking back and saving four match points before forcing a tiebreak. The British No 1 saved a fifth match point but Vekic took the breaker 8‑6, dropping to her knees in triumph. The match, which looked like a blowout, ended by the finest of margins – a couple of Raducanu’s strokes shaving the outside of the line.
Match Details and Vekic’s Victory
Vekic, ranked world No 76, entered the main draw as a lucky loser after losing in qualifying, partly due to illness. Once dosed up on antibiotics and handed a spot after Marta Kostyuk’s withdrawal, she proved a formidable opponent. Her flat, skiddy power makes her a grass‑court specialist, and this victory – her fifth career singles title and first at WTA 500 level – makes her the first lucky loser to win a title of that grade or higher. Her previous titles include Monterrey (2023), Courmayeur (2021), Nottingham (2017) and Kuala Lumpur (2014), and she reached the Wimbledon semi‑finals in 2024 and won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics the same year. For Raducanu, the final was her first at tour level since the 2021 US Open, which she won as a qualifier. The 23‑year‑old, born in November 2002, has a career‑high ranking of world No 10 and currently sits at No 42. She had come into Queen’s with one win in her previous seven matches, but she fought through rain‑disrupted days to win twice on Saturday – beating Rakhimova and then world No 19 Jovic – a superhuman effort that came at a cost.
Overall Progress and Context
Despite the dispiriting result, the week represented a significant step forward. Raducanu described it as “an incredible week for me, making the final in my home city,” thanking the crowd for getting her through tough moments. Her run featured some of the best grass‑court tennis she has played in years, and the resilience she showed in coming back after the first‑set wipeout was impressive. It also rubber‑stamped her decision to reunite with coach Andrew Richardson, who guided her to the US Open title, a move supported by figures such as John McEnroe. Raducanu has spoken of feeling like a “new Emma,” incorporating lessons from a period of frequent coaching changes and injuries that included hand and ankle surgeries in May 2023. The Queen’s final improved her seeding prospects for Wimbledon – she should now be in the top 32 – and she continues on course for SW19 with the wind in her sails.
