Vekic cruises past Raducanu 6-0, 7-6 (8-6) in Queen’s final to snap three-year trophy drought

A blistering start for Vekic

Donna Vekic stormed through the first set 6-0 in just 29 minutes, breaking Raducanu's serve early and punishing a double fault to lead 4-0. Raducanu, hampered by a leg issue, could find no rhythm. Frustration boiled over when she turned to coach Andrew Richardson and

“say something”

. Vekic’s flat groundstrokes and accurate serving left the Briton adrift, and the first set was over without Raducanu winning a game.

Raducanu’s fightback and near-miss

The second set turned dramatically. Vekic’s level dipped and Raducanu finally got on the board, then raced to a 5-2 lead with two breaks of serve. Serving for the set at 5-4, Raducanu held two set points but could not convert, and Vekic broke back. The Croatian then had three match points while receiving at 5-6, all saved, before a fourth in the tiebreak. Raducanu pushed the tiebreak but a forehand error brought the trophy to Vekic at 8-6 in the breaker.

Lucky loser turns fortune into triumph

Vekic entered the draw only after Marta Kostyuk’s injury withdrawal, having lost in qualifying to Anna Blinkova. The world No. 76, a grass-court specialist who reached the 2024 Wimbledon semi-finals and won the Nottingham title in 2017, captured the fifth WTA singles crown of her career and her first since the 2023 Monterrey Open. The victory came in her first final since the 2024 Paris Olympics gold-medal match.

Emma Raducanu1

Donna Vekic5

Emma Raducanu

1

Donna Vekic

5

Data from the article text

Raducanu’s encouraging road ahead

Raducanu’s run to the Queen’s final, her third career final and first on grass, was built on a comeback from months of post-viral illness and a leg issue. She beat Kamilla Rakhimova and Iva Jovic in a two-match Saturday schedule to reach the championship match. She has now rehired Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to the 2021 US Open title as a qualifier. Though a second title remains elusive, the ranking points will propel her back toward the top 30, making her a seed at Wimbledon. Raducanu told the crowd,

“What a week - it's been an incredible week for me to reach the final.”

She added,

“Donna played superbly from start to finish.”