Raducanu's Historic Grass Final
Emma Raducanu Secures Spot in Queen's Final, Her First Ever on Grass
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Emma Raducanu has reached the final of the Queen's Club Championships, making it her first WTA Tour final on grass and her third of her career. The 23-year-old Briton defeated Kamilla Rakhimova and Iva Jovic on the same day — Saturday, June 13 — without dropping a set, and will face Croatia's Donna Vekic in Sunday's final, according to WTA Official.
Raducanu called it the start of a new chapter. "It means everything to be doing it here at Queen's in front of everyone," she said, per LTA. "The support today was electric." The run comes just weeks after she reunited with coach Andrew Richardson — the man who guided her to the 2021 US Open title.
A Grueling Super Saturday Double Shift at Queen's
Rain wiped out Friday's schedule entirely, forcing organisers to squeeze the quarter-finals and semi-finals into a single day. Raducanu played twice on Saturday. First, she beat Rakhimova 6-3, 7-5 in the quarter-final. Then, just hours later, she returned to the Andy Murray Arena and dismantled 18-year-old American Iva Jovic 6-2, 6-2 in 91 minutes, per Olympics.com.
The Rakhimova match came with a scare. Raducanu took a "nasty slip" that forced a medical timeout and left her with heavy strapping on her left thigh, according to beIN SPORTS. She still won comfortably. Against Jovic, she looked a different player — landing 12 winners and breaking serve five times.
Richardson Reunion Fuels Raducanu's Grass-Court Revival
Raducanu has worked with eight coaches since her 2021 US Open triumph. In May 2026, she sent Richardson a one-word text and the pair reunited at the Ferrer Tennis Academy in Spain, according to The Guardian. Richardson was the coach who first took her to a Grand Slam title at age 18.
The results are immediate. Tim Henman, the former British No. 1, praised the move on Sky Sports. "Emma obviously trusts Andrew and I think that consistency and continuity is really important," he said, via Tennis Now. Analysts say her play has returned to the "proactive, aggressive" style that defined her US Open run.
Vekic Arrived as a Lucky Loser, Now Stands in the Way
Raducanu's opponent on Sunday is Donna Vekic, 29, a Croatian veteran and 2024 Olympic silver medalist. Vekic did not even enter the main draw directly — she got in as a lucky loser after the withdrawal of 5th seed Marta Kostyuk. She then beat British No. 2 Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-3 in the semi-final, per Tennis Now.
This will be the first professional meeting between the two players, according to WTA Official. Vekic has looked sharp all week, winning 23 of 25 first-serve points in her semi-final. She told reporters, "I love this surface, I love this city," per Olympics.com.
What a Title Would Mean for Raducanu's Wimbledon Hopes
Reaching the final guarantees Raducanu a rise to at least world No. 31, up from her current ranking of No. 42, according to Tennis365. That move is crucial — it secures her a seeded spot at Wimbledon, meaning she avoids the top players in the early rounds. She has earned 325 ranking points this week, with 500 available for the title.
A win would also end nearly five years without a title for Raducanu. It would make her the first British woman to win at Queen's since Rita Bentley in 1962, per Tennis Temple. The total prize pool for the 2026 event is $1,915,000, with the winner taking home $294,445.
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