HSBC Championships 2026: Making the final is ‘everything’ for Emma Raducanu
• 3 minute read
Emma Raducanu will be the first British woman to play a single final at The Queen’s Club in 56 years on Sunday when she takes on Donna Vekic at the HSBC Championships.
It’s a run that means ‘everything’ to the British No.1 and comes as the result of a lot of hard work and effort from her and the team behind-the-scenes.
Raducanu was certainly made to do it the hard way, having to play two matches in one day to book her place in the final.
The British star had an injury scare after slipping in her quarter-final win over Kamilla Rakhimova earlier in the day, but returned later and found another level against sixth seed Iva Jovic.
Needless to say, every challenge that has been thrown her way she’s taken in her stride and now she’s just one win away from the Queen’s trophy.
“Having to play two matches today was a real physical challenge, and I'm really proud how I kind of overcame that with the help of my team, of course," Raducanu said.
“I think that I knew playing Iva, she's one of the most in-form players right now on the tour, so I think having that match and the first one in the morning did help in some ways, because I had a better feel of the court, I would say, rather than going straight in.
“Maybe it worked in my advantage, but it easily could have gone the other way, and with the slip, especially. I’m just really glad to be in this situation.
Making your first WTA 500 and grass court final is one thing, but getting to do it in front of your home crowd is extra special.
Raducanu was quick to thank the crowd for their support after the match, and the celebrations after her win over Jovic told you just what this means for the 23-year-old.
As a young kid who grew up in Bromley, having the chance to play a final at The Queen’s Club is a dream come true.
“It means everything to be making the final here and to be making it at home in London,” she said. “I love London. It's my home. It's where I grew up. It's everything to me.
“To be receiving the amount of support that I do here, it's very emotional, and yeah, I'm just really proud of myself.
“I think I'm playing really good. I think the lessons would probably be to be my most athletic self. My personality, I think it's clear this week that I had a lot of fun on the court. When I'm smiling and enjoying it, that's when I feel the best level can kind of flow out from there.”
Raducanu has joined forces with coach Andrew Richardson recently, who was part of the team when she went on to win the US Open title back in 2021.
At the start of the year, the British star spoke a lot about how she wanted to go back to playing a more aggressive and attacking style of play – and while she says this isn’t the old Emma on court, she’s happy with the direction she’s heading.
“I think it's great to have him back. I think we have been working on this game style. The whole week I have been playing really, really good tennis and the brand of tennis that I really want to play.
“I wouldn't say it's necessarily the old Emma. I think it's the new Emma, because you take all the lessons and experience, you know, all the different ups and downs, and you take everything. You understand a lot more what's going on and what works for you.”
How to watch the Queen's tennis final
You can watch Emma Raducanu vs Donna Vekic in the HSBC Championships final on Sunday 14 June live on the BBC, BBC digital services and Tennis Channel.
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