Emma Raducanu has rediscovered the winning feeling. The 23-year-old Briton claimed the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club by dismantling Donna Vekic 6-1, 6-2 in Sunday's final, capturing her first WTA title since that historic triumph at the US Open in September 2021. Nearly five years of injuries, doubts and rebuilding swept aside in 62 minutes of commanding tennis on London grass.
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Raducanu gave the Croatian no chance from the outset. From the opening game, the Briton imposed a suffocating tempo, taking the ball early and varying her depth to deny Vekic any rhythm. A break at 2-1 in the first set set the tone, and Raducanu never looked back.
Vekic, who entered the draw as a lucky loser and produced a remarkable run of five wins without dropping a set, met her match this time. Her first serve, a devastating weapon all week, was not enough against the quality of Raducanu's returns. The Croatian won just three games across the entire final, her lowest tally since the grass-court season began.
The second set followed the same script. Raducanu broke Vekic's serve immediately, then consolidated with a love hold. At 4-1, the question was no longer who would win, but when. The answer came at 6-2, on a final cross-court forehand that brought Queen's Club to its feet.
"This title means so much to me," Raducanu said with glistening eyes during the ceremony. "There were moments when I wondered if I would ever experience this again. To win here, at home, in front of this crowd, it is beyond what I hoped for."
Raducanu's run this week was that of a player in complete command. Five wins, just one set dropped, and the ability to raise her level match after match. Her grass, her city, her crowd. The 2021 champion is no longer a shooting star. She is back, and she intends to prove it at Wimbledon in two weeks.
