Croatia’s DonnaEkic delivered a dominant performance before weathering a fierce comeback from Emma Raducanu to capture the Queen’s Club title on Sunday, winning 6-0, 7-6(6) before a crowd that was largely cheering for her opponent.
Vekic’s path to the championship was anything but straightforward — she entered the main draw only after losing in qualifying and advancing as a lucky loser. Despite that rocky start, she needed five match points before finally putting away Raducanu and earning her first tournament title since 2023.
The 29-year-old came out firing in the opening set, striking powerful winners across the court with remarkable precision and claiming the set without dropping a game.
However, Raducanu refused to go quietly. She broke Vekic’s serve twice in the second set to build a 5-2 lead, threatening to force a deciding third set as Vekic’s level dropped noticeably.
Vekic regrouped and clawed her way back into the match, eventually leveling the set. She even had to save a set point when Raducanu led 5-4, keeping her title hopes alive in dramatic fashion.
As an Olympic runner-up, Vekic had the experience to stay composed, but three match points slipped away while she held a 6-5 advantage. The match moved into a tiebreak, with both players visibly exhausted after a series of grueling, back-and-forth rallies.
Raducanu saved yet another match point during the tiebreak, but Vekic finally converted on her fifth opportunity when a tired Raducanu’s groundstroke landed in the tramlines, sealing the championship.
