Lucky Loser Vekic Beats Raducanu to Rule Queen’s Club

By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, June 14, 2026
Photo credit: Adam Davy/PA Sport/Getty

Illness and fatigue nearly struck down Donna Vekic last week.

Today, Vekic produced a powerful panacea at Queen’s Club.

Lucky loser Vekic converted her fifth championship point defeating home hero Emma Raducanu 6-0, 7-6(6) to win her fifth career championship on the historic lawns of Queen’s Club.

It is Vekic’s first Tour-level title in three years and came after fifth-seeded Marta Kostyuk withdrew last week.

A fired-up Vekic won her first 500-level championship and became the first lucky loser to win a WTA title since 2023. That season, three lucky losers were tournament champions: Maria Timofeeva at Budapest, Nao Hibino at Prague and Sara Sorribes Tormo at Cleveland.,

“I was just really grateful that I had another opportunity to play. Yeah, it was tough, you know, with the wind, with the rain,” Vekic said of her journey to hoisting the title trophy. “It’s been a long week.

“But I’m really happy with the way I played. With each match I played a little bit better, and, yeah, today was pretty good.”

Vekic, who was feeling so ill last Monday she didn’t think she could compete, gained main-draw entry on Tuesday. Five days later she made history as the first lucky loser to win Queen’s Club.

“I’m really grateful that I got another opportunity to play, because I was really excited for the first tournament on grass,” said Vekic, who improved to 5-10 in Tour-level finals. “Loved being back in London, but then I got sick that weekend, and I was really, really upset because then having to play two matches on Sunday as well, it was too much. 

“I knew I was the first Lucky Loser, but on Monday, I was feeling so bad, I was like, Please, I don’t want anyone to pull out today. Then Tuesday I woke up and was feeling better and I was like I feel it’s coming today.”

Contesting her first final since the 2024 Olympic gold-medal match in Paris when she fell to Zheng Qinwen, Vekic beat three British players, including scoring back-to-back wins over Katie Boulter and Raducanu to take the title.

When Raducanu’s final shot sailed long, Vekic dropped to her knees with joy then rose, putting her hand over her heart.

A victorious Vekic signed the court-side camera lens “Crazy Queen” with a heart symbolizing this wild ride to her fifth championship.

At the outset, the 29-year-old Croatian overpowered Raducanu rolling through seven straight games for a 6-0, 1-0 lead.

Looking drained after posting two wins yesterday, including her semifinal sweep of American teenager Iva Jovic, Raducanu was depleted at the start before finding her range and rhythm.

Ultimately, the flat-hitting Vekic had too much firepower and frequently fired the first strike in that scorching seven-game start.

“Yeah, I think [fatigue was] part of it. I think Donna also didn’t allow me to really play my game,” Raducanu said. “She came out serving very well, and hitting, striking from the back really well. The first service game I didn’t really make a first serve, so that was straightaway a break.

“But, yeah, of course, like, fatigue, and you’re not driving up as much for your serve, which is such a big thing on grass. It’s just been an amazing week, but it’s also been a long week, waiting around and some long days…

“I think the performances I had this week I played really well. I was able to play and dictate, and that’s something I wasn’t able to do today. I managed to get myself back into the second set, and I’m proud of how I fought. That’s not something that in the past years I have always done, so that’s a positive.”

Playing for her first title since she won the 2021 US Open becoming the first qualifier—male or female—to win a Grand Slam singles title, Raducanu reset.

Mixing the depth and angle of her drives, Raducanu raced through five of the next six games snatching a 5-2 second-set lead. Though Raducanu served for the set at 5-4 and had two set points, she could not close. Raducanu scattered a drop shot as Vekic broke back to level at 5-all.

The 2024 Wimbledon semifinalist said when Raducanu raised her level of play she tried to stabilize and stay close.

“Winning 6-0 in tennis can be a curse sometimes, but I was just thinking she started playing really well in the second set, really raised her level,” Vekic said. “And I was just thinking to myself, okay, just stay with her and try to make her play an extra ball.

“I’m really happy I managed to come back.”

Serving at 5-6, Raducanu roped a forehand to save championship point, dodged a second championship point when Vekic netted a return then saved a third championship point cracking an 82 mile-an-hour forehand winner. 

Raducanu rapped deep backhands holding to force the tiebreaker.

Level at 5-all in the breaker, Vekic hit a forcing forehand drawing a wide lob for a fourth championship point. Raducanu hit a dangerous return down the line but slipped giving Vekic an open look at a wide expanse of court, but the Croatian netted her reply and it was 6-all.

Queen’s Club fans were roaring exhorting hometown favorite Raducanu, but Vekic muted fans sliding a winner right off the sideline that left Raducanu staring at the spot as if haunted by that strike.

On her fifth championship point, Vekic finally closed as a crackling 15-shot exchanged ended with Raducanu sailing a diagonal forehand long.

Afterward, Vekic said her off-court decision to reunite with British coach David Felgate was a key component to her championship run.

Donna Vekic thanks her childhood coach after beating Emma Raducanu in the final of Queen’s

“I have to say thanks to my coach David. We worked together when I was 12 years old. You raised me. 🥹 Without you I wouldn’t even know what grass is 😂. When I called you two weeks ago to… pic.twitter.com/Pz6u9buSxu

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 14, 2026

“It’s always tricky when you’re changing coaches in the middle of the season, but I’m really proud of myself that I took this decision,” Vekic said. “I’m really grateful to David for being able to help me and
being onboard straightaway.

“You know, we worked together when I was 12 years old. He raised me as a player. He took me to Wimbledon for the first time. Like I said on court, I wouldn’t even know what grass is without him.

“So it’s a little bit of a full-circle moment winning this title with him here. I’m really happy for him, for me, for us, and all the work, not that we did now in the last two weeks, but the work that we did when I was 12 years old.”

Despite the defeat, Raducanu said she’s drawing on the positives from her performance this week as fuel for Wimbledon, which starts June 28th.

“I think I have been training well the last months. I think I have been doing the same thing every day, you know,” Raducanu said. “On the clay, I just didn’t have the results, but I was applying myself the best I possibly could each day. Even when I didn’t necessarily feel like it, even when I felt down about the results, I kept showing up. You know, it was great to see the result of that this week.

“I think of course like going into Wimbledon you want as many matches on grass was possible. This week was great. I played five matches on grass. Yeah, for that, it has to be a positive, and you take things that work, take things that didn’t work, and, yeah, apply it to whichever week I play next.”