By Martyn Herman
LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) – Croatia’s Donna Vekic revived memories of her deep run at Wimbledon two years ago when she thrashed Britain’s Katie Boulter to reach the Queen’s Club Championships semi-finals on Saturday.
Vekic dropped only six points on serve in a 6-1 6-3 victory against wildcard Boulter who looked flat after her stunning win against world number two Elena Rybakina on Friday.
The 29-year-old Vekic will contest her first Tour-level final since she reached the Paris Olympics final in 2024.
She will face either American teenage sensation Iva Jovic or Britain’s former U.S. Open winner Emma Raducanu.
Raducanu reached the semi-finals earlier in the day when she beat Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3 7-5 despite a second-set injury scare when she needed attention to her left thigh.
The vastly-experienced Vekic has seen her ranking drop to 76, three places below Boulter, after a tough season and was actually beaten here in the final round of qualifying.
Marta Kostyuk’s withdrawal with an injury meant Vekic got her chance in the draw as a lucky loser and she has taken full advantage of her reprieve with a stunning run to the final, including downing former world number one Karolina Pliskova.
She played the villain role to perfection on the Andy Murray Arena, silencing the pro-Boulter crowd with an exhibition of precision serving and sweetly-struck baseline winners.
Afterwards she described London as her second home, having spent time as a teenager training in the capital with British coach David Felgate, with whom she has teamed up again for the British grasscourt season.
“I have been improving with each match and that’s usually how it goes on grass, the more time you spend on it the better you get,” Vekic, who lost to Jasmine Paolini in Wimbledon’s longest-ever women’s singles semi-final in 2024, said.
“I love this surface, I love this city. I’m really happy.”
She has now beaten two Britons en route to the final, having accounted for teenager Mika Stojsavljevic in the first round, and will have no fear if Raducanu is waiting for her in Sunday’s showdown. Although Raducanu first has the formidable task of beating the 18-year-old Jovic.
Jovic beat fellow American and second seed Amanda Anisimova on Friday to reach her fourth semi-final this year.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, Editing by Louise Heavens and Clare Fallon)
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