WTA Weekly: Lucky loser Donna Vekic denies home favourite Raducanu to win Queen's | Berlin & Nottingham previews

WTA Weekly – Queen's Club Review & Berlin/Nottingham Preview

Welcome to WTA Weekly.

This week, the grass-court season delivered one of its best stories as Donna Vekic completed a remarkable run to win the Queen's Club title in London. Entering the tournament as a lucky loser after falling in qualifying, Vekic took full advantage of her second chance and capped the week with a 6-0, 7-6(6) victory over home favourite Emma Raducanu in the final.

Vekic dominated the opening set before Raducanu fought back impressively in the second. The Brit recovered from a difficult start, built a lead, and even held set points, but Vekic's experience on grass proved decisive in a tense tiebreak. The Croatian eventually converted her fifth championship point to secure her first title in several years.

Despite the loss, Raducanu leaves Queen's with plenty of positives. After an injury- and illness-disrupted season, she reached the final without dropping a set before Sunday and recorded victories over multiple top players. Her form suggests she could be a dangerous contender during the remainder of the grass swing and at Wimbledon.

As for Vekic, the title continues a remarkable turnaround. She only entered the main draw after a late withdrawal created a lucky-loser spot, yet she navigated the field brilliantly and now heads into Wimbledon full of confidence.

Looking ahead, attention shifts to the WTA 500 event in Berlin, one of the strongest grass-court tournaments outside Wimbledon. The field is expected to feature many of the tour's top players, making it a crucial test before the Championships.

Meanwhile, the WTA event in Nottingham offers another opportunity for players to gain valuable grass-court matches and ranking points. With Wimbledon just around the corner, every match becomes increasingly important as players fine-tune their games for the year's biggest grass-court event.

That's all for this week's WTA Weekly. The road to Wimbledon is heating up, and after Vekic's incredible lucky-loser triumph at Queen's, the grass season has already shown that anything can happen.
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