The current Olympic runner-up Donna Vekić won the most valuable trophy of her career on Sunday, when she beat local favorite Emma Raducana 6-0, 7-6 (6) in the finals of the WTA 500 tournament on grass in London’s Queen’s Club in the status of a “lucky loser”.
In her 15th final on the WTA Tour, Vekić reached of the fifth title and another on a grassy surface.
Brilliant the 29-year-old woman from Osijek opened the duel against Emma Raducanu, six years younger, and played the first seven games almost without a mistake.
British girl simply she didn’t know how to win the game. Vekić broke her serve three times and left her without a chance to break, so she won the first set 6-0 in 29 minutes.
Donna won the first game in the second set, but then Raducanu joined in this final match. In the third game, she reached the first ‘break’, took Vekić’s serve again in the seventh game and took a 5-2 lead.
Big drama in the final: Vekić to the title after five match points
Although it seemed that the third set was inevitable, Vekić did not think that way and did not give up. In the eighth game, she returned a ‘break’, held her serve, and then tied it at 5-5 with another ‘break’.
Of the next ten points Osijek won eight of them and thus reached two match points. Raducanu remained mentally strong and got away with two good serves.
However, a point later she was faced with the third match point, but even then she played coolly and accurately. In the end, the Briton won the 12th game of the second set and took it to a tie-break.
Vekić was dominant in the beginning and won four of the first five points for 4-1. But the persistent and fighting Raducanu came back to 4-4. With the score 5-5, Donna reached a ‘mini-break’ and the fourth match point, but Raducanu saved herself once again.
But two points later, there was no escape. She sent the ball out of bounds on her opponent’s fifth match point, giving Donna Vekic her fifth career WTA title.
THE DREAM RUN IS COMPLETE 🥹
Donna Vekic is the first lucky loser to win a WTA title since 2023, beating Emma Raducanu 6-0, 7-6(6) 👏 #HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/T587tZJeLN
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 14, 2026
Vekić won her fifth WTA title and jumped 44 places
It was Donna’s 15th final appearance ended the wait for the fifth title which lasted from Monterrey 2023.
Emma Raducanu remained on the only title won in 2021, when she became the only qualifier to win the US Open.
The British woman was waiting for her new final until this year, but this one in her city also ended like the one in Cluj, without the winning trophy in her hands.
Scored points will Donna Vekić bring a shift out of 44 places in the WTA rankings, so from Monday she will again be the best-ranked Croatian tennis player, and she will find herself in the 32nd position, one place behind Emma Raducanu, who will improve by 11 positions compared to this week.
WTA 500 London – final
DONNA VEKIĆ (CRO) – Emma Raducanu (VBR) 6-0, 7-6 (6)
(Hina | Photo: X)
