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Emma Raducanu suffers Queens heartbreak as Brit's five-year wait for title goes on

Emma Raducanu was undone by Donna Vekic in the final of the HSBC Championships final at Queens as the Brit lost in straight sets

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Emma Raducanu came up short in the final at Queens

Emma Raducanu has been beaten by Donna Vekic in the final of the HSBC Championships final at Queens despite a valiant effort in the second set.

The Brit was hoping to secure a memorable win in front of her home crowd, but endured the worst possible start as the Croatian raced into a one set lead, winning 6-0. The second was far more competitive, but Vekic took it on a tiebreak.

The British number one, ranked 42 in the world, has not won a title since her historic US Open success in 2021. The champion Vekic beat another Brit, Katie Boulter, in the semi-finals.

Raducanu hadn't dropped a set en route to the final, seeing off the likes of Iva Jovic, Kamilla Rakhimova and Sorana Cirstea.

Raducanu remained upbeat despite the loss, showing her quality in the second set with Wimbledon just weeks away. The home favourite said: "It's been an incredible week for me, making the final here, playing in my home city, in my home tournament. The support I have received all week has been incredible but I really want to take this opportunity to thank everyone.

"Today was a really tough match. Donna played extremely well from the start to the finish. So thanks for getting me through some tough moment this week and also for helping me push back in that second set."

The champion admits she feared a Raducanu backlash after winning six straight games to take the opening set. "I was always jealous of the boys playing at this club and this amazing court. I love this court, I love the grass, I have really enjoyed myself this week," she said.

[Donna Vekic claimed glory at Queen's Club]

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Donna Vekic claimed glory at Queen's Club

"Winning 6-0 [in a first set] is sometimes a curse in tennis. Emma really stepped up an played some amazing tennis. I just tried to stay with her, make her play it out, stay with every single ball. Her last service game and the tie-break is a bit of a blur right now, but I'm really happy I managed to win."

Raducanu has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon on two occasions, which is her second best result at a Grand Slam after he fairytale in New York. Last year she showed her quality despite losing to World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

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