Croatia's Donna Vekic resisted a gutsy fightback by Emma Raducanu in front of a partisan crowd to claim the Queen's Club title with a 6-0 7-6 (8-6) win in a high-quality final in London.
Vekic, who got into the main draw as a lucky loser after defeat in qualifying, needed five match points to finally end Briton Raducanu's âresistance and win her first title since 2023.
Raducanu, who reached the final without dropping a set, was given vociferous support throughout but fell just short of landing her first title since her fairytale run at the US Open in 2021 as a teenaged qualifier.
LONDON CHAMPION! đ@DonnaVekic is victorious at Queen's winning in straight sets against Raducanu!#HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/ED2KTy2cD3
â wta (@WTA) June 14, 2026
After a frustrating season âof illness and âinjuries, however, she looks â rejuvenated just in time for Wimbledon in two weeks, when her run at Queen's means âshe will likely be seeded, as also will the 29-year-old Vekic who began the week ranked 76th.
Raducanu is now provisionally ranked 31 with Vekic at 32.
Vekic had already beaten â a British teenager - Mika Stojsavljevic - this week and on Saturday blazed past another âhome favourite âand Alex de Minaur's fiance Katie Boulter.
Vekic produced a stunning opening set, belting âferocious winners all âover the court to leave Raducanu, who had removed tape on her thigh, reeling.
But Raducanu weathered the storm and as Vekic's âonslaught began to wane, the British player began swinging more freely to make inroads and forged a double break ahead in the second set.
Vekic got one break back, then saved serve from 0-30 at 3-5, before breaking the Raducanu serve again to âlevel âafter saving two set points, one with a stunning âtopspin lob.
Paris Olympic runner-up Vekic then saw three match points go âbegging as she led 6-5 and, as the match headed towards a tiebreak, both players looked out on their feet.
Raducanu saved another match point in the tiebreak but Vekic earned one more with a superb winner and she finally converted at the fifth attempt as a weary Raducanu sent a groundstroke into the tramlines.
