Emma Raducanu secured a place in the final of the Queen’s Club Championships on Saturday, overcoming injury concerns and winning two matches in a single day. The 23-year-old British No 1 defeated Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan 6-3, 7-5 in the quarter-finals before following up with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over 18-year-old American Iva Jovic in the semi-finals. Raducanu will face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in Sunday’s final, marking her first-ever championship match on grass and her biggest final appearance since winning the 2021 US Open as a teenager.

Raducanu’s achievement came amid a challenging day at the Andy Murray Arena, complicated by an aerial display by the Red Arrows that briefly halted play and an injury scare during her quarter-final. She slipped while changing direction in the second set against Rakhimova and required a medical timeout to have her left thigh strapped. Despite some visible discomfort and a brief stumble in momentum, Raducanu continued to fight back, eventually closing out the match. She carried the injury into the semi-final but managed to impose her aggressive, front-footed style effectively against Jovic, who also showed signs of physical distress and took a medical timeout for strapping on her ankle.

Raducanu, currently ranked world No. 42, had entered the tournament without a tour-level victory since early March and had struggled with various injuries, including a chest infection earlier this year that sidelined her for ten weeks. Her performance at Queen’s has been seen as a potential turning point, helped by the return of her former coach Andrew Richardson, who had guided her to US Open success. Raducanu described the current phase of her career as a “new Emma,” combining lessons from past challenges with a refreshed approach to her game. She expressed gratitude for the support she received throughout the week and acknowledged the physical and mental demands of playing two high-level matches in one day.

Vekic, the experienced Croatian ranked No. 76, reached the final after a commanding 6-1, 6-3 victory over Britain’s Katie Boulter in the earlier semi-final. Vekic has a solid grass-court pedigree, including a run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2024, and her clinical serving performance in the semi-final left little opportunity for Boulter to build on her previous upset of world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. Boulter’s semi-final display was less consistent, limiting the chance for an all-British final at the tournament, a scenario that had excited home fans.

Saturday’s schedule was affected by weather delays earlier in the week, forcing the compressed two-match day for Raducanu. The Queen’s Club tournament had no women’s event for many years until its reintroduction last year, making Raducanu’s run notable in the history of British women’s tennis at the event. The last British female champion at Queen’s was Ann Jones in 1969.

With Wimbledon commencing in less than two weeks, Raducanu’s progress and apparent recovery from injury provide a boost to her hopes of securing a seed at the Grand Slam, which could afford her a more favorable draw. However, given her recent fitness struggles, cautious optimism remains surrounding her readiness for the major tournament. The final against Vekic will be a crucial test of Raducanu’s form and resilience as she aims to capture her first title on home soil since her breakthrough success in New York.