Donna Vekic has become the first player since 2023 to win a WTA event as a lucky loser after battling past home favourite Emma Raducanu in two sets at the HSBC Championships.
Vekic, who gained entry into the main draw after Marta Kostyuk withdrew with injury, produced a gutsy 6-0, 7-6(5) win over the British No.1, who was seeking her first piece of silverware since the 2021 US Open. It is the first time the 29-year-old has won a WTA 500 event, with her four previous Tour triumphs coming at 250-level tournaments between 2014 and 2023. Vekic’s only other triumph on grass was back in 2017 at the Nottingham Open.
“I was always jealous of the boys playing at this club on this amazing court,” the new champion told The BBC.
“We (female players) have had an opportunity to play here since last year. It’s amazing. I love this court. I love the grass and I really enjoyed myself this week.” She added.
The Croat started the match in clinical fashion by winning seven consecutive games as she produced some of her best tennis. However, a Raducanu fightback unfolded in the second set with the Brit carefully working her way to a 5-2 lead before having two set point opportunities at 5-4.
Unfortunately for Raducanu, she was unable to capitalise on a critical lead as Vekic worked her way back into the match. The two continued to battle on court with Vekic failing to convert a trio of match points at 6-5. Eventually, she prevailed in the tiebreak after a Raducanu forehand drifted wide on her fourth match point opportunity.
“At first I was like, ‘oh no, I won 6-0.’ That’s sometimes a curse in tennis,” Vekic said of her start to the final.
“She (Raducanu) really stepped up. She played some amazing tennis. I was just thinking to myself to try to stay with her, make her serve it out, try to make her play every single ball. And I managed to come back.
“To be honest, her last service game and the time break, it’s all a bit of a blur right now. I’m really happy I managed to win.”
Vekic’s triumph occurred as she reunited with coach David Felgate, who oversaw her progression on the grass when she was a teenager.
“I wouldn’t even know what grass is if it wasn’t for him,” she said in praise of Felgate.
“We started working together when I was 12 years old. He brought me to Wimbledon for the first time.
“I came to London early last week and we had a couple of days of training. Even though the weather was horrible, I was like, every minute on the grass counts. And we definitely made it count.”
As for Raducanu, there are plenty of positives she can take from Queen’s heading into Wimbledon. Over the past week, she has beaten two top-20 players on the grass – Sorana Cirstea and Iva Jovic. She is now projected to rise in the rankings to just outside the top 30.
“It’s been an incredible week for me making the final here, playing in my home city, my home tournament where I feel the best,” Raducanu commented during the trophy presentation.
“The support I have received all week has been incredible. Today was an extremely tough match. Donna played well from the start to the finish.”
Both players will be hoping to replicate their strong runs at SW19, where the Wimbledon main draw begins on June 29th. Vekic is a former semi-finalist at the Grand Slam in 2024.
“It’s my favourite tournament,” said Vekic. “But I enjoy playing on the grass. It really smooths my game. Every match on grass is a bonus.”
