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<\/a><\/p>\nIt is Vekic\u2019s first Tour-level title in three years and came after fifth-seeded Marta Kostyuk withdrew last week.<\/p>\n
A fired-up Vekic won her first 500-level championship and became the first lucky loser to win a WTA title since 2023. That season, three lucky losers were tournament champions: Maria Timofeeva at Budapest, Nao Hibino at Prague and Sara Sorribes Tormo at Cleveland.,<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just really grateful that I had another opportunity to play. Yeah, it was tough, you know, with the wind, with the rain,\u201d Vekic said of her journey to hoisting the title trophy. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long week.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019m really happy with the way I played. With each match I played a little bit better, and, yeah, today was pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vekic, who was feeling so ill last Monday she didn\u2019t think she could compete, gained main-draw entry on Tuesday. Five days later she made history as the first lucky loser to win Queen\u2019s Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really grateful that I got another opportunity to play, because I was really excited for the first tournament on grass,\u201d said Vekic, who improved to 5-10 in Tour-level finals. \u201cLoved being back in London, but then I got sick that weekend, and I was really, really upset because then having to play two matches on Sunday as well, it was too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew I was the first Lucky Loser, but on Monday, I was feeling so bad, I was like, Please, I don\u2019t want anyone to pull out today. Then Tuesday I woke up and was feeling better and I was like I feel it\u2019s coming today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Embed from Getty Images<\/a> <\/p>\n Contesting her first final since the 2024 Olympic gold-medal match in Paris when she fell to Zheng Qinwen, Vekic beat three British players, including scoring back-to-back wins over Katie Boulter and Raducanu to take the title.<\/p>\n When Raducanu\u2019s final shot sailed long, Vekic dropped to her knees with joy then rose, putting her hand over her heart.<\/p>\n A victorious Vekic signed the court-side camera lens \u201cCrazy Queen\u201d with a heart symbolizing this wild ride to her fifth championship.<\/p>\n At the outset, the 29-year-old Croatian overpowered Raducanu rolling through seven straight games for a 6-0, 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n Looking drained after posting two wins yesterday, including her semifinal sweep of American teenager Iva Jovic, Raducanu was depleted at the start before finding her range and rhythm.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the flat-hitting Vekic had too much firepower and frequently fired the first strike in that scorching seven-game start.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I think [fatigue was] part of it. I think Donna also didn\u2019t allow me to really play my game,\u201d Raducanu said. \u201cShe came out serving very well, and hitting, striking from the back really well. The first service game I didn\u2019t really make a first serve, so that was straightaway a break.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, yeah, of course, like, fatigue, and you\u2019re not driving up as much for your serve, which is such a big thing on grass. It\u2019s just been an amazing week, but it\u2019s also been a long week, waiting around and some long days\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI think the performances I had this week I played really well. I was able to play and dictate, and that\u2019s something I wasn\u2019t able to do today. I managed to get myself back into the second set, and I\u2019m proud of how I fought. That\u2019s not something that in the past years I have always done, so that\u2019s a positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Playing for her first title since she won the 2021 US Open becoming the first qualifier\u2014male or female\u2014to win a Grand Slam singles title, Raducanu reset.<\/p>\n Mixing the depth and angle of her drives, Raducanu raced through five of the next six games snatching a 5-2 second-set lead. Though Raducanu served for the set at 5-4 and had two set points, she could not close. Raducanu scattered a drop shot as Vekic broke back to level at 5-all.<\/p>\n The 2024 Wimbledon semifinalist said when Raducanu raised her level of play she tried to stabilize and stay close.<\/p>\n \u201cWinning 6-0 in tennis can be a curse sometimes, but I was just thinking she started playing really well in the second set, really raised her level,\u201d Vekic said. \u201cAnd I was just thinking to myself, okay, just stay with her and try to make her play an extra ball.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really happy I managed to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n Serving at 5-6, Raducanu roped a forehand to save championship point, dodged a second championship point when Vekic netted a return then saved a third championship point cracking an 82 mile-an-hour forehand winner.\u00a0<\/p>\n Raducanu rapped deep backhands holding to force the tiebreaker.<\/p>\n Level at 5-all in the breaker, Vekic hit a forcing forehand drawing a wide lob for a fourth championship point. Raducanu hit a dangerous return down the line but slipped giving Vekic an open look at a wide expanse of court, but the Croatian netted her reply and it was 6-all.<\/p>\n Queen\u2019s Club fans were roaring exhorting hometown favorite Raducanu, but Vekic muted fans sliding a winner right off the sideline that left Raducanu staring at the spot as if haunted by that strike.<\/p>\n On her fifth championship point, Vekic finally closed as a crackling 15-shot exchanged ended with Raducanu sailing a diagonal forehand long.<\/p>\n Afterward, Vekic said her off-court decision to reunite with British coach David Felgate was a key component to her championship run.<\/p>\n Donna Vekic thanks her childhood coach after beating Emma Raducanu in the final of Queen\u2019s<\/p>\n \u201cI have to say thanks to my coach David. We worked together when I was 12 years old. You raised me. \ud83e\udd79 Without you I wouldn\u2019t even know what grass is \ud83d\ude02. When I called you two weeks ago to\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Pz6u9buSxu<\/a><\/p>\n