“It means everything to be doing it here at Queen’s in front of everyone,” she said.
“The support today was electric. This week has been incredible. I’ve really enjoyed playing here, and it really shows in my tennis and how I’ve been able to compete in some really tough moments.”
It’s a second WTA final of the season for Raducanu, who finished runner-up at the Transylvania Open earlier in the season.
Her match with Vekic on Sunday will be a first-career meeting between the two players as they look to etch their names in the history books of The Queen’s Club.
“If you ask any player, especially a Brit, they would love to lift the title here,” Raducanu added.
“Me and my team have stuck through some really tough moments in the last few months when the results haven’t been going our way but we’ve been putting in the work day in and day out. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for getting me to this situation.”
Fresh off her quarter-final victory earlier in the day, Raducanu was the more comfortable of the two from the word go – moving well and playing with confidence on the Andy Murray Arena.
Three key stats
Playing on the front foot – Raducanu was on the attack in 25% of the points throughout the match
Taking her chances – the British No.1 converted on 71% of points in attack vs Jovic’s 64%
Aggressive returning – Raducanu has returned 100% of second serves from inside the baseline this week
The British No.1 dispatched two clean down the line winners to claim the first break of the match and advance to an early 4-1 lead.
Jovic was struggling with a foot issue and called for a medical timeout for some more strapping, and couldn’t get going in the first set.
Raducanu won the set on serve and kept her foot on the gas to move 2-0 ahead in the second.
Jovic’s attempts to fight back were then met with more aggressive returns from the British star. The American broke only to then fall 4-1 behind, with a place in the final inching ever closer for Raducanu.
A missed break point in the following game for Jovic seemed to be the final hammer blow.
With the crowd up on the edge of their seats, Raducanu broke for a third and final time to win the set and clinch a signature win at her home tournament.
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.