British number one Emma Raducanu heralded the dawning of the “new Emma” era after powering through a two-match day to reach the HSBC Championships final at Queen’s.
Raducanu first beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3 7-5 at the Andy Murray Arena, then advanced to the third WTA Tour-level final of her career – and first on grass – by thumping 18-year-old American Iva Jovic 6-2 6-2.
In May, the 23-year-old Briton, who has cycled through a carousel of coaches, reunited with Andrew Richardson, who helped Raducanu land an historic US Open title as a qualifier in 2021.
But asked after booking her place in Sunday’s final with Croatian lucky loser Donna Vekic if the “old Emma” had returned, Raducanu replied: “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, so I’d say that I’m back and better.”
Raducanu came into this tournament wounded by a first-round exit at the French Open, and with limited tennis under her belt after missing two and a half months with a post-viral illness.
The weather-plagued second edition of the women’s tournament at Queen’s meant Raducanu first had to play Rakhimova in Saturday’s postponed quarter-final, and for a moment it looked like her fairy-tale run could have an unhappy ending when she slipped in the second set.
She emerged from a medical pause with her left thigh wrapped in heavy tape, which she later removed in that victory, then appeared on court before the semi-final with a smaller patch in the same area.
Jovic, who also sported strapping on her left ankle, was due to play her doubles semi-final with McCartney Kessler after her loss to Raducanu, but was forced to withdraw due to her ankle issue.
Best of @emmaraducanu’s epic semi-final win over Iva Jovic at the #HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/2re9dxCauS
— HSBC Championships (@QueensTennis) June 13, 2026
Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund will take on Briton Olivia Nicholls and Tereza Mihalikova for the doubles title on Sunday.
Raducanu danced around just how her leg was feeling after her second victory of the day, but said: “I think it’s amazing what adrenaline and support can do, and the mind as well. So right now I still have to kind of assess, but yeah, I know we’re going to do everything we possibly can for one more tomorrow.”
Raducanu, who, has not dropped a set en route to the final, also reached the last match at the Transylvania Open in February, and exacted revenge on that tournament’s winner, Sorana Cirstea, in the last 16 at Queen’s.
She added: “It means everything to be making the final here and to be making it at home in London. I love London. It’s my home. It’s where I grew up. It’s everything to me, so to be receiving the amount of support that I do here, it’s very emotional, and yeah, I’m just really proud of myself.”
Earlier, Vekic beat British number three Katie Boulter – who had dispatched number one seed Elena Rybakina on Friday – in straight sets.
