Emma Raducanu won both of her matches in west London on Saturday. Getty Emma Raducanu stormed into the final of the HSBC Championships after thumping American Iva Jovic 6-2 6-2 in the semifinals on a day that saw the British No. 1 play two matches at Queen's.
Raducanu reached the third WTA Tour-level final of her career after beating 18-year-old Jovic in straight sets in London.
The weather-plagued second edition of the women's tournament at Queen's meant Raducanu had a busy day, first beating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3 7-5 at the Andy Murray Arena in a quarterfinal briefly interrupted by the King's birthday flyover, before facing Jovic.
The 23-year-old's opponent for Sunday's final will be Croatian lucky loser Donna Vekic, who beat British number three Katie Boulter in straight sets in the match preceding Raducanu's on centre court.
Raducanu will hope to finally add to the US Open title she memorably claimed as a wild card in 2021.
- What we learned from Serena Williams' first match back - Record £64.2M ($83M) Wimbledon prize pot increase fails to end dispute over revenue
Last month, after running through a carousel of coaches since, the Briton rehired Andrew Richardson, the man who helped her reach that historic title.
She also reached the final at the Transylvania Open in February, enacting revenge on that tournament's winner, Sorana Cirstea, in the last 16 at Queen's.
A slip in the second set of Raducanu's quarter-final sparked concern about the Briton's fitness after she emerged from a medical pause with her left thigh wrapped in heavy tape, which she later removed in that victory.
She appeared on court before the semifinal with a smaller patch in the same location, Jovic also sporting strapping on her left ankle.
Raducanu earned her first break with an 80mph winner in the fourth game, and there was a pause after she held the next for Jovic to consult her physiotherapist.
The Briton used the pause to fuel up, munching on a banana as Jovic's ankle was re-strapped, and it was not long before Raducanu, who had not dropped a set in her run to the semifinal, wrapped up the first.
Jovic looked visibly frustrated as she walked off the court, and Raducanu, fuelled by the home support, was quickly up a break after the second game before the opponents exchanged breaks over the next two.
Raducanu saved three break points to take a 4-1 lead after a lengthy fifth game as the more rested Jovic -- who beat compatriot Amanda Anisimova in three sets on Saturday to reach the semifinal -- looked for a way to throw the home favourite off her game, and held to make it 5-2.