Emma Raducanu defeated Iva Jovic, 6-2, 6-2, to book her place in the Queen’s Club Championships final.
Performing double duty on Saturday, Raducanu beat Kamilla Rakhimova and Jovic in a matter of hours to set up a championship showdown with Donna Vekic.
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During the BBC’s post-match coverage, Annabel Croft shared what Raducanu must do to clinch the title.
Annabel Croft says Emma Raducanu can win Queen’s if she produces ‘another performance like that’ in the final
“Of course she can [win Queen’s],” said Croft.
“If she can produce a performance like that… She just needs to wake up tomorrow and continue in that vein.
“She’s up against [Donna] Vekic, who is very experienced, has a big serve, big groundstrokes, can pound them into the corners, but there is something about Emma [Raducanu] out here on the grass courts.
“She got a standing ovation at the end of that match today. She’s got so much love and support for her; people love watching her play tennis, and I can understand why.
“She is such a brilliant talent; she’s got a big smile on her face, so there is plenty to get excited about.”
Vekic defeated Raducanu’s fellow Briton, Katie Boulter, in the earlier semi-final, 6-1, 6-3.
The Croat has never played Raducanu before, but is an experienced grass-court player, as she prepares to contest her sixth final on the surface.
Donna Vekic’s record in grass-court finals (1-4)
| Final | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 2013 Birmingham Classic | Daniela Hantuchova | LOSS | 6-7, 4-6 |
| 2017 Nottingham Open | Johanna Konta | WIN | 2-6, 7-6, 7-5 |
| 2019 Nottingham Open | Caroline Garcia | LOSS | 6-2, 6-7, 6-7 |
| 2023 German Open | Petra Kvitova | LOSS | 2-6, 6-7 |
| 2024 Bad Homburg Open | Diana Shnaider | LOSS | 3-6, 6-2, 3-6 |
| 2026 Queen’s Club Championships | Emma Raducanu | – | – |
She will need to put that experience to good use in Sunday’s final, when the crowd cheers on their favourite in her bid for a first title in five years, and her first on home soil.
Vekic will be hoping to avoid a fifth grass-court final defeat, but will be up against it, taking on an opponent in fine form.
Raducanu was brilliant from start to finish against Jovic, taking down a top-20 player in straight sets.
“There was such resilience from her, it was a flawless performance,” said Croft.
“As I said at the start of the match, I really rate Jovic as a player for the future, a quality ball-striker, who was going to stick in there and make the rallies long.
“The level was extraordinarily high at the start from both of them, with striking into the corners, moving the ball around. But she always had the upper hand.
“I think she’s got a slightly bigger serve; she gets more free points off it, the way she swings that one out wide on the deuce court.
“The way she changes direction with the ball, and she never backed away from any situation. And even the moment she talked about it, 0-40, struggling on a couple of service games, but managing to turn those games around, you felt like there was nothing Jovic could do.
“Jovic didn’t play badly; she played a really high-quality match, but she could not get the breakthrough. That was outstanding.”
Raducanu is now just one ‘outstanding’ performance away from winning her second career title.
Emma Raducanu can emulate Andy Murray with Queen’s final win
Andy Murray is the only British player to have won a Queen’s singles title since 1969.
Last five Queen’s (singles) champions
- Andy Murray (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016)
- Ann Haydon Jones (1968, 1969)
- Rita Bentley (1962)
- Christine Truman (1960)
- Angela Buxton (1956)
Murray won five titles at the event and remains the most successful player in tournament history.
Raducanu is now just one victory away from joining Murray in the exclusive group of British Queen’s Club Championships winners.
The win would mean the world to Raducanu and would serve as a reminder of just how talented she is.
When Raducanu lifted the US Open trophy in 2021 as a qualifier, you wouldn’t have found many fans willing to bet she would be stuck on one title five years later.
She only reached her second final earlier this season, which she lost in straight sets to Sorana Cirstea in Cluj Napoca.
What better way for Raducanu to double her trophy tally than to win Queen’s in front of her adoring home fans?
Raducanu will play Vekic in the final of the 2026 Queen’s Club Championships on Sunday, June 14.
