LONDON: Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu declared herself back to her best after the British star won twice in just six hours to set up a Queen's Club final clash with Croatia's Donna Vekic.
Raducanu reached the first grass-court final of her career by thrashing American sixth seed Iva Jovic 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-finals of the Wimbledon warm-up event in west London on Saturday. The 23-year-old had earlier defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 7-5 in the quarter-finals, a match briefly halted by the deafening noise from aeroplanes participating in the royal 'Trooping the Colour' flyover.
A slip in the second set of that quarter-final sparked concern about Raducanu's fitness after she emerged from a medical break with her left thigh heavily taped. However, the world number 42 played the semi-final with a smaller patch in the same area and moved comfortably enough to demolish the 18-year-old Jovic. Raducanu has not dropped a set en route to the final, beating two players ranked in the world's top 20.
“It means everything to be doing this here at Queen’s. The whole day has been electric,” Raducanu said. “This week has been incredible, I really enjoy playing here and that shows in my tennis. Ask any British player and they would love to lift the title here. We’ve been through some tough moments in the last few months but have been putting in the hard work and I want to thank my team for helping me get into the final.”
Raducanu is one win away from her first title since lifting the US Open trophy after her stunning triumph as a qualifier in 2021. She has appeared revitalised since her decision last month to rehire Andrew Richardson, the man who coached her to that historic title in New York five years ago.
‘New Emma’
After first parting company with Richardson, Raducanu cycled through a host of coaches without success in a bid to recapture the glory of her US Open run. She has not reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam since her US Open victory, hampered by fitness issues for several years, and arrived at Queen's with only one win in her previous seven matches.
Raducanu reached the final at the Transylvania Open in February, losing to Sorana Cirstea, whom she defeated in the last 16 at Queen's earlier this week. After beating Jovic, Raducanu was asked if the “old Emma” had returned. “I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily the old Emma, I think it’s the new Emma,” she said ahead of Sunday’s final. “Because if you take all the lessons and experience, all the different ups and downs, you understand a lot more what’s going on and what works for you. So I’d say that I’m back and better.”
Croatian world number 76 Vekic beat Britain's Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-3 in the other semi-final, extending her unexpected run at a tournament she only entered as a 'lucky loser' when another player pulled out.
