Emma Raducanu, 23, reached the Queen's Club final but lost to 29-year-old Donna Vekic in straight sets, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6) on June 14 at the London grass-court tournament [1, 2, 3].
Raducanu advanced to the final after a series of tough matches. On June 12, she defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-2, marking her first win against a top-20 opponent in over a year [4, 5, 6]. The following day she overcame an injury scare after slipping in her quarter-final against Kamilla Rakhimova, winning 6-3, 7-5 in a match that lasted nearly three hours including treatment [6, 7, 8, 9]. Later that same day, due to prior rain delays, Raducanu beat American teenager Iva Jovic 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-final to reach her first-ever grass court final [10, 11].
Raducanu described the final as "really tough," praising Vekic for playing "incredible tennis" and getting "a lot of balls back." She said, "It was an up-and-down match and I'm really grateful for the support I had in some tough moments. It was tough to take the fall... but I am proud how I did that with the help of you guys here." She also congratulated her compatriot Katie Boulter, who reached the quarter-finals and lost to Vekic in the semi-finals [6].
Vekic, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser after losing in qualifying, captured her first title since 2023 at Queen's Club. She said, "Growing up and playing on the tour, I was always jealous of the boys for getting to play here at this amazing club. I'm very grateful we now have the opportunity to play here as well. Thank you to everyone who made that happen – we really enjoy it." [1, 2]
The tournament faced weather disruptions on June 11, with no play due to rain causing schedule delays [4]. Despite this, Raducanu managed to play two matches on June 13.
Raducanu called the week "incredible" and thanked supporters for their help during tough moments. "Donna played extremely well from the start to the finish," she said. "Thanks for helping me push back in that second set." [2]
The Queen's Club event moves on as players prepare for Wimbledon later this month, where Raducanu will aim to build on her grass court breakthrough.
