Emma Raducanu proud despite final defeat to Donna Vekic at Queen’s Club
Croatian Vekic overturned a 5-2 deficit in the second set and saved two set points in the 10th game.
Runner-up Emma Raducanu was eager to draw a silver lining after coming agonisingly short of a fairytale ending at the HSBC Championships with a 6-0 7-6 (6) loss to Donna Vekic in the final.
The British number one, who powered through a two-match Saturday to reach Sunday’s showdown, was swiftly beaten by the lucky loser in a 28-minute first set, but battled the Croatian to the brink of a gripping second, saving four match points, including one in the tie-break.
It was the 23-year-old’s first tour-level final on grass, and her third since winning the US Open in 2021.
“It was tough to take, for sure, but I had a good week here, and it was just amazing to play at home,” said Raducanu, who, as a result of rain delays and postponements earlier in the week, had spent two hours and 19 minutes more on court the previous day than her opponent.
Raducanu slipped in the first of those matches and, as she had for her semi-final victory over American Iva Jovic, emerged on court wearing significant strapping on the inside of her left thigh, which she removed late in the first set.
She said: “I have just been dealing with a few niggles over the past few weeks, and of course the load I have had in the last week, it’s been a great problem to have, you know, playing this many matches. And doubling up (on Saturday), it’s not easy to recover from.
“Grass, these things can happen. You take a few slips. But I think overall I came through a challenging day (on Saturday). I put myself in this position to be in the final.
“The crowd were amazing. It meant a lot to have the support all week.”
Those who stuck around to watch the final match at the Andy Murray Arena got to witness British joy after Olivia Nicholls and Slovak partner Tereza Mihalikova won the doubles tournament, beating Canadian-German pair Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund 6-3 6-7 (4) 10/7.
Raducanu in May reunited with Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to that famous US Open triumph as a qualifier, and did not drop a set at Queen’s until the first in the final.
This very encouraging run for Raducanu, after years under what has often seemed like crushing expectation, was not, she insisted on Saturday, a return to her former self, but the incarnation of a “new Emma”.
That has meant a mental reset as much as a physical one, and resilient Raducanu refused to make it easy for Vekic, who overturned a 5-2 deficit in the second set and saved two set points in the 10th game.
Despite twice failing to force a decider, Raducanu pushed on, digging deep to save a trio of championship points to make it 6-6 to set up the tie-break, then fended off another one before hitting out at the end of the final rally.
She added: “The performances I had this week, I played really well. I was able to play and dictate, and that’s something I wasn’t able to do (in the final).
“I managed to get myself back into the second set, and I’m proud of how I fought. That’s not something that in the past years I have always done, so that’s a positive.”