I think it's the new Emma, back and better
On a single Saturday at Queen's Club, Emma Raducanu did what champions do in the hardest moments — she kept going. Injured mid-match and forced to return strapped and uncertain, the British number one defeated two top-twenty players in succession to reach her first grass-court final, a milestone that feels less like a comeback and more like a reckoning with everything she has learned since her improbable US Open triumph five years ago. She will face Croatia's Donna Vekic on Sunday, carrying both the hopes of a home crowd and a left thigh that has not yet given its answer.
- A mid-match slip on the grass mid-way through her quarter-final turned a routine victory into a test of nerve, forcing Raducanu off court for treatment before she returned to close out the win.
- Two hours later she was back on the same court facing a dangerous American teenager, and she dismantled her 6-2, 6-2 without appearing to have spent anything at all.
- The reunion with coach Andrew Richardson in May has quietly rewired something in her game — former British number one Annabel Croft said she hadn't seen Raducanu strike the ball this cleanly since the 2021 US Open.
- The all-British final that seemed possible after Katie Boulter's stunning win over world number two Rybakina on Friday dissolved when Boulter lost to Vekic in just 66 minutes, leaving Raducanu to carry the home crowd's expectations alone.
- A left thigh injury still requires assessment before Sunday, meaning the question of whether she can compete fully hangs over a final that could deliver her a second career title and Wimbledon seeding.
Emma Raducanu walked onto Andy Murray Arena twice on Saturday and left it, both times, as the winner. Her day began in the quarter-finals against Kamilla Rakhimova, a match already delayed by weather. Midway through the second set, her left leg gave way as she changed direction on the grass. She limped off for treatment, returned with strapping, and finished the job anyway: 6-3, 7-5.
Two hours later she was back on the same court, this time against American teenager Iva Jovic. She did not look tired. She broke serve in the fourth game with a forehand that seemed to come from somewhere deeper than technique — from the muscle memory of being a Grand Slam champion. By the end, it was 6-2, 6-2. She had not dropped a set all week. She had beaten two top-twenty players in a single day. The crowd rose.
This is not quite the same Raducanu who won the US Open in 2021, though the resemblance is close enough to startle those who have watched her struggle. Since New York, injuries and illness dropped her to 42nd in the world. She lost in the first round of the French Open just days before arriving at Queen's. But in May she rehired Andrew Richardson — the coach who guided her through that improbable run five years ago — and something shifted. When Annabel Croft said she hadn't seen Raducanu strike the ball this well since the US Open, it wasn't nostalgia. It was recognition. Raducanu herself pushed back gently: "I wouldn't say it's the old Emma. I think it's the new Emma."
Sunday's final is against Croatia's Donna Vekic, who ended the hopes of an all-British final by beating Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-3 in just 66 minutes — a day after Boulter had stunned world number two Elena Rybakina. The home crowd's expectations now rest entirely with Raducanu, who must first have her left thigh assessed before she can be certain of taking the court. A title would be her second career crown and would almost certainly secure her seeding at Wimbledon. One more match. One leg that hasn't yet given its answer.
Emma Raducanu walked onto Andy Murray Arena twice on Saturday, and by evening she had dismantled two opponents and claimed her place in a grass-court final she has spent months working to reach. The British number one began her day in the quarter-finals against Kamilla Rakhimova, a match delayed by weather that tested not just her tennis but her body. Midway through the second set, Raducanu's left leg gave way as she changed direction on the grass. She slipped, felt the sharp reminder that her body has betrayed her before, and limped off court for treatment. When she returned, strapped and uncertain, she finished the job anyway: 6-3, 7-5.
Two hours and twenty minutes later, she was back on the same court facing Iva Jovic, an American teenager ranked high enough to be dangerous. Raducanu did not look tired. She looked like someone who had found something she thought she'd lost. She broke Jovic's serve in the fourth game with a forehand that seemed to come from somewhere deeper than technique—from the muscle memory of being a Grand Slam champion. She held serve with another sharp shot into the corner. By the end of the first set, Jovic was chasing. By the end of the match, it was over: 6-2, 6-2. Raducanu had not dropped a set all week. She had beaten two players ranked in the world's top twenty in a single day. The crowd rose. She jumped for joy.
This is not the same Emma Raducanu who won the US Open in 2021 as a teenager, though the resemblance is close enough to startle people who have watched her struggle. Since that triumph in New York, she has been broken by injuries and illness in ways that seemed almost deliberate—as if her body was determined to teach her that lightning does not strike twice. She fell to 42nd in the world rankings. She lost in the first round of the French Open just days before arriving at Queen's. But in May, she rehired Andrew Richardson, the coach who had guided her through that improbable run five years ago, and something shifted. This week at Queen's, she has thrived on the weight of being the home favourite, on the pressure of playing in front of a crowd that wanted her to succeed.
When Annabel Croft, a former British number one, watched Raducanu dismantle Jovic, she said something that hung in the air: "I haven't seen Emma strike the ball as well as this since the US Open." It was not nostalgia talking. It was recognition. But Raducanu, asked if the old Emma had returned, pushed back gently. "I wouldn't say it's necessarily the old Emma," she said. "I think it's the new Emma. 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." There was no bitterness in this. Just clarity.
Sunday's final will pit Raducanu against Donna Vekic of Croatia, who beat Katie Boulter, the British number three, in straight sets. Boulter had won two matches on Friday, including a stunning victory over world number two Elena Rybakina, but the effort seemed to have cost her. She managed only 66 minutes against Vekic before losing 6-1, 6-3. The all-British final that seemed possible on Friday had evaporated. Now it falls to Raducanu alone to carry the weight of home expectation.
There is one complication. Her left thigh, the one that slipped on the grass, still needs assessment. She wore strapping through the semi-final and managed to save break points and hold serve, but the injury is real and it is there. When asked if she would be fully fit for Sunday, Raducanu said she would do everything possible to be ready. A Queen's title would be her second career crown and would almost certainly secure her seeding at Wimbledon, which begins on June 29. But first she has to get through one more match, with one leg that may or may not cooperate, against an opponent ranked 76th in the world who has already proven she can beat the best. The final airs on BBC One at 13:15 BST on Sunday.
Citas Notables
I haven't seen Emma strike the ball as well as this since the US Open— Annabel Croft, former British number one, on BBC TV
I wouldn't say it's necessarily the old Emma, I think it's the new Emma. 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— Emma Raducanu, on her resurgence
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
How much of what we saw today was Raducanu playing her best tennis, and how much was Jovic simply not showing up?
Both things are true, but not equally. Raducanu was striking the ball with a clarity that reminded people of 2021. But Jovic is a teenager playing in a semi-final at a major grass-court event—the pressure alone is enormous. Raducanu didn't give her room to breathe.
The injury looked serious when it happened. How concerned should we be about Sunday?
She came back and won the match, then won another match after that. But strapping on grass is different from strapping on hard court. The surface is unforgiving. She'll need to assess it overnight, and honestly, we won't know until the first point on Sunday.
Raducanu said she's the "new Emma, not the old Emma." What did she mean by that?
She's saying that the years of injury and failure weren't wasted. They taught her something. The old Emma won the US Open on instinct and youth. This Emma understands herself better. She knows what works and what doesn't. That's a different kind of strength.
Katie Boulter beat Elena Rybakina on Friday and lost badly on Saturday. Is that just the toll of playing two matches in a day?
Partly. But Boulter is 29. She's not a teenager. Playing twice in a day is hard, but it's not impossible. Vekic was simply better on the day, and Boulter had nothing left to give.
What does a Queen's title mean for Raducanu's season?
It means seeding at Wimbledon, which matters more than people realize. It means she's back. It means the investment in bringing back Richardson was the right call. And it means she has momentum heading into the biggest tournament of the year, played on the same surface, in her home country.