Look back at Emma Raducanu’s run to the 2026 HSBC Championships final
• 3 minute read
Let’s take you back to June earlier this year. Clear skies, hot temperatures, and a Queen’s Club campaign to remember from Britain’s Emma Raducanu.
The then British No.1 was one of the stars of the 2026 HSBC Championships – reaching her first WTA 500 final in front of a home crowd at The Queen’s Club.
Now, Raducanu has announced that she is set to return to West London next summer, with tickets set to go on sale at 10:00 on Tuesday 10 November.
While the excitement gears up for another fortnight of world-class tennis at the HSBC Championships in June, take a look back at Raducanu’s impressive final run.
First round: Raducanu makes quick start against Blinkova
Raducanu made a fast and efficient start to the HSBC Championships against Anna Blinkova.
The British star showed no signs of pre-match nerves out on the Andy Murray Arena as she stormed to a 6-0, 6-3 victory in just one hour.
It was a statement performance for her first match of the season on grass. Raducanu won 70% of points against her opponent’s first serve, and her return game became a key factor throughout her path to the final.
Second round: A first top-20 win for over a year
Next up, seventh seed Sorana Cirstea, who was coming off the back of a semi-final run in Rome and a quarter-final at Roland Garros.
Playing one of the in-form stars on the WTA Tour, Raducanu recorded her first top-20 victory in over a year, coming through 6-4, 6-2.
Raducanu showcased her attacking style against Cirstea, winning 61% of the points with four shots or fewer, and propelled herself into the quarter-finals for the second year in a row.
Having lost just nine games in two matches, Raducanu was performing at a high level on the grass, and more was yet to come.
Quarter-final: Battling to victory over Rakhimova
With a complete washout on Thursday and more delays on Friday, Raducanu didn’t get to play her quarter-final against Kamilla Rakhimova until Saturday.
Raducanu raced out to a set and 3-1 lead before slipping on court, which forced her to take a medical time-out. Rakhimova managed to edge 4-3 in front, but when things got tough, the British star rose to the challenge.
Despite missing the chance to serve for the match at 5-4, Raducanu got over the line at the second attempt, sealing a 6-3, 7-5 victory.
She joined Katie Boulter as one of two Brits in the semi-finals – only the second time that had happened at a WTA 500-level event.
Semi-final: Raducanu wins second match in one day against sixth seed Jovic
A few hours after her quarter-final, Raducanu was back on court to face one of the rising stars of the WTA Tour – Iva Jovic.
Jovic had been in impressive form, knocking out 2025 HSBC Championships and Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals, and was looking to make her biggest grass-court final.
Despite playing a match earlier in the day, Raducanu put in arguably her best performance of the season against the sixth seed.
The former US Open champion kept her foot on the gas, attacking on a quarter of the points played against Jovic. She broke the American five times in a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory to book her place in a first WTA 500 final without dropping a set.
Final: Vekic clinches title over British star
Awaiting her in the final was Croatian Donna Vekic.
Vekic came into the tournament as a lucky loser but got better and better as the event went on – defeating Boulter in the semi-final.
The world No.76 put together one of the most dominant sets in Queen’s Club final history – taking it 6-0 in 28 minutes.
However, Raducanu had her chances in the second set. She quickly turned momentum on its head, took a 5-2 lead, and had two set points a few games later.
Vekic refused to let go of the set and eventually went on to win the last five games in a row to seal her second career grass-court title with a 6-0, 7-5 victory.
It was a tough result for the British star, who later revealed that she had been dealing with an injury that put her out for the rest of the season.
In 2027, Raducanu will return to The Queen’s Club with ambitions of going one further and lifting a first title on home soil.
Watch Raducanu and more of the world’s best tennis stars at the HSBC Championships – tickets on sale now.
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