4 hours ago
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Emma Raducanu walked through the famous clubhouse at the Queen’s Club and down to the stadium court smiling widely. She had arrived at this occasion, another noteworthy final in front of a home crowd on a historic court, playing some of the best tennis of her life. It had the makings of the second perfect day in her career.
That smile was wiped off her face by a ruthless performance from one of the few true grass court enthusiasts in Donna Vekic of Croatia, a lucky loser, who produced an inspired attacking display to clinch the biggest title of her career, beating Raducanu 6-0, 7-6 (6) in the final.
Despite a torrid start, gave herself many chances to force a final set and keep alive her shot at a second career title after the stunning US Open triumph in 2021.
Raducanu, who went into the match as the world No 42, fought brilliantly to lead 5-2 in the second set and held two set points on her serve at 5-4 but was too tentative in the decisive moments. She was painfully disappointed at her inability to at least extend the match.
“I haven’t really played much this season, but to think I have made two finals so far, which I haven’t done in years, it has to be celebrated. It’s a good achievement for me and I’m proud of it,” said Raducanu. “Right now it obviously really stings, so I’m just going let myself feel it today but try to get over it pretty quick.”
Her performances this week still represent a massive step forward. Raducanu had not won a match since March after a post-viral illness, her latest in a long line of physical ailments, had sidelined her for two months. She found her way again by performing at an excellent level throughout the week. The next step is for her to learn how to perform consistently and remain healthy enough for an extended period of time so she can put herself in these positions more regularly.
“I think I have been training well the last months,” said Raducanu. “I have been doing the same thing every day. On the clay, I just didn’t have the results, but I was applying myself the best I possibly could each day. Even when I didn’t necessarily feel like it, even when I felt down about the results, I kept showing up. It was great to see the result of that this week.”
Despite her loss in qualifying and her current ranking of 76, Vekic is a formidable player and at her strongest on a grass court. The 29-year-old reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2024, just missing out on the final, shortly before earning an Olympic singles silver medal in Paris. She reached a career-high ranking of No 17 last year. There is nothing surprising about a player of Vekic’s calibre winning a WTA 500 event.
Her path to the title is another example of how odd this sport can be. Vekic lost her final qualifying round match in straight sets to Anna Blinkova, who was then bulldozed 6-0, 6-3 in the first round by Raducanu.
Vekic had felt so sick on the weekend that, after losing to Blinkova, she had been hoping not to be drafted in as a lucky loser. She relied on antibiotics to help see her through the opening rounds before playing freely from the semi-final stage, defeating Katie Boulter and Raducanu in consecutive days. “I was just really grateful that I had another opportunity to play,” she said.
At her best, Vekic is one of the best servers on the tour and a big, flat ball-striker. She pulverised the ball off both wings, particularly her stellar two-handed backhand, and was untouchable behind her serve.
Raducanu had entered the final after a dramatic Saturday saw her win two matches, including a semi-final victory against the world No 19 Iva Jovic, and recover after appearing to hurt her thigh after slipping in her first match. The combined weight of Raducanu’s fatigue, physical niggles and tension complicated her attempts to counter a spectacular Vekic. Raducanu lacked pace on her groundstrokes and struggled to absorb the immense pace generated by Vekic across the net. Her serve, a pillar of her success this week, was poor, and she looked uncertain out of the corners.
Still, Raducanu fought hard and she should have contested a final set. After failing to serve out the second set at 5-2, she generated two set points at 5-4. On the second, a strong first serve set up an easy forehand right on top of the net, but she tried to wrongfoot Vekic, who stood her ground and rolled a sweet backhand lob over her head. Quickly down 5-6, Raducanu valiantly saved three match points on her serve to force a tiebreak but Vekic re-established control of the baseline and held her nerve to complete an unforgettable recovery from her sickbed to her most significant title.
