Emma Raducanu reaches Queen's Club final after double victories

British No. 1 Emma Raducanu advanced to the HSBC Championships final at London’s Queen’s Club by winning two matches in one day. She defeated Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6‑3, 7‑5 in the quarter‑final – playing through a brief medical timeout after a slip – and then beat American seed Iva Jovic 6‑2, 6‑2 in the semi‑final. The rain‑packed schedule forced her to play both matches within six hours, and a brief interruption caused by the Trooping the Colour fly‑over added to the drama.

Raducanu, playing unseeded, did not drop a set throughout the event and became the first British woman to reach a Queen’s final in 56 years. Her run was credited in part to the return of coach Andrew Richardson, who guided her to a 2021 US Open title. She praised the crowd, saying, “It means everything to be doing it here at Queen’s – the whole day has been electric.”

In the final she faced Croatia’s Donna Vekic, who had upset Katie Boulter in the other semi‑final. Vekic won the championship 6‑0, 7‑6 (8‑6), handing Raducanu her first loss in a WTA 500 final. The runner‑up finish earned Raducanu just under £225 k in prize money and moved her close to the world top 30, improving her chances of being seeded at Wimbledon.