Preview WTA Queen’s Club Championships 2026 Final | Emma Raducanu faces Donna Vekic for first WTA 500 title in grass-court final

The 2026 Queen’s Club Championships final will be contested between Emma Raducanu and Donna Vekic on grass in London, with both players chasing their first WTA 500 title. Raducanu arrives as the home favourite after a dominant week, while Vekic continues her unexpected run as a lucky loser who has converted a second chance into a place in the title match.

The final represents a contrast in tournament narratives: Raducanu has progressed without dropping a set, while Vekic has navigated a deeper and more disruptive path through the draw, including wins over seeded opposition. Neither player has previously faced the other, adding an additional layer of tactical uncertainty to a high-stakes final.

Emma Raducanu, currently ranked No. 42, will contest her third career final, aiming for her first WTA 500 title. The Brit previously won the US Open 2021 title from qualifying and reached the Transylvania Open final earlier this season, where she finished runner-up to Sorana Cîrstea.

This week at Queen’s has been defined by control and efficiency. Raducanu has reached the final without dropping a set, defeating Anna Blinkova (6-0, 6-3), Sorana Cîrstea (6-4, 6-2), Kamilla Rakhimova (6-3, 7-5) and Iva Jovic (6-2, 6-2). She also managed a compressed schedule due to rain disruptions, completing two matches in one day without a noticeable drop in performance level.

A key statistical feature of her run has been return efficiency and break-point conversion. Across the tournament she has consistently applied early pressure on second serves, reducing rally length and limiting opponent rhythm. Her ability to manage service games efficiently has also stood out, with minimal breaks conceded across four rounds.

Raducanu has already secured her place as a seeded player at Wimbledon, sitting at No. 31 in the live rankings. A victory here would mark her first title since the US Open 2021, nearly five years after her breakthrough run in New York that established her on the tour. It would also further consolidate her return to the top tier of the WTA, with potential for additional movement upward in the rankings depending on the final result. Raducanu holds a 1–1 record in WTA finals.

Donna Vekic, ranked No. 76, enters the final seeking her first WTA 500 title and her first tour-level trophy since Nottingham 2017. The Croatian’s run carries additional narrative weight given its origin: she lost in qualifying to Anna Blinkova before being reinstated into the main draw as a lucky loser following a late withdrawal, a turnaround that has fully reshaped her week in London.

Since then, Vekic has delivered a series of increasingly controlled performances, defeating Mika Stojsavljevic (6-2, 6-3), Marie Bouzková (7-6, 6-3), Karolína Plíšková (6-4, 4-6, 6-3) and Katie Boulter (6-1, 6-3). The quarter-final against Boulter was her most clinically executed match, with Vekic losing just six points behind serve and consistently dictating baseline exchanges through first-strike patterns, particularly on return of second serve.

Her grass-court pedigree remains a key competitive factor. A former Wimbledon semi-finalist, Vekic has long shown an ability to adapt to faster surfaces, using low-bouncing depth, serve placement and early court positioning to compress rallies. This week she has also shown improved return discipline, especially in neutralising second-serve rhythm and preventing opponents from establishing sustained service holds under pressure.

Vekic now holds a 4–10 career record in finals, including one grass-court title at Nottingham in 2017. This will be her first tour-level final since the 2024 Olympic Games gold medal match run, marking a significant return to a high-stakes final stage after a two-year gap. A victory would secure her first WTA 500 title and her first trophy at tour level since the 2023 Monterrey Open, underlining the significance of her unexpected route from qualifying to a championship match.