Croatia's Donna Vekic claimed the Queen's Club title in London on Sunday, defeating Emma Raducanu 6-0, 7-6(6) in front of a partisan crowd. Vekic, a 29-year-old Olympic runner-up, entered the main draw as a lucky loser after a defeat in qualifying. This victory marks her first title since 2023.
Vekic began the final in devastating fashion, belting ferocious winners to secure a 6-0 first set. However, the 23-year-old British No. 1 mounted a gutsy fightback in the second set. Raducanu gained a double break to lead 5-2 and later held a 5-4 lead, saving a set point before Vekic hauled herself back onto level terms.
Vekic saw three match points go begging while leading 6-5, sending the set to a tiebreak. After a series of brutal rallies, Raducanu saved another match point in the tiebreak, but Vekic finally converted on her fifth attempt as a weary Raducanu sent a groundstroke into the tramlines.
Raducanu reached her first grass-court and third tour-level final after a challenging Saturday. Due to rain delays, she played two matches in one day, overcoming an injury scare to beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 7-5 and defeating American Iva Jovic. The loss in the final means Raducanu has not won a singles title since her victory at the 2021 U.S. Open.