Emma Raducanu blows 4-2 lead as Queen’s dream ends in crushing defeat to Olympic champion

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Britain’s new No1 suffers back injury as top seed Qinwen Zheng storms back from double break down to win 6-2 6-4

Emma Raducanu’s bid to become the first British woman to win at Queen’s Club in 52 years came crashing down as she squandered a commanding second-set lead against Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng.

The promising Briton held a commanding position in the second set, racing to a 3-0 lead with a double break advantage.

After losing the first set 6-2, Raducanu appeared to have turned the match around when she stormed ahead 4-2 in the second, only to see her Chinese opponent reel off four consecutive games to seal a 6-2 6-4 victory.

Britain’s new No1 Emma Raducanu has crashed out of Queen’s Club, falling 6-2 6-4 to Olympic champion and top seed Qinwen Zheng in the quarter-finals.

Back injury hampers British star

The 22-year-old Briton, who will officially become British No 1 on Monday, was hampered by a recurring back problem that required medical treatment during the match.

Raducanu took a medical timeout for a back issue before the second set and that swung the momentum the Briton’s way as she secured a double break to go 3-0 up.

“I’ve played five matches in a pretty short amount of time. I’m probably feeling that, so I need to let the back rest and see how it goes from there,” Raducanu told the BBC after her defeat.

The injury has been troubling the former US Open champion for several weeks, dating back to her match against Danielle Collins at the Strasbourg Open.

Zheng’s grass court breakthrough

World No 5 Zheng overcame her own struggles on the unfamiliar grass surface, including changing her shoes mid-match and taking a tumble on set point in the first set.

“I want to apologise for my shoes. I didn’t want to fall two times, but I just don’t know how to run on grass,” Zheng said sheepishly.

The 22-year-old Chinese star showed she could be a worthy Wimbledon contender as she reached her first semi-final on grass, converting her fourth match point after Raducanu saved three.

Raducanu’s impressive week ends in disappointment

Despite the defeat, Raducanu enjoyed a successful week at the historic West London venue, becoming the last British player standing in singles after Katie Boulter and Heather Watson both fell in the last 16.

The 22-year-old became British No. 1 by booking a place in the quarterfinal but she was no match for the Olympic champion Zheng.

Her victories earlier in the week ensured she will reclaim the British No 1 ranking from Katie Boulter when the rankings update on Monday, rising to world No 36.

Dramatic second set collapse

After being outplayed in the opening set, Raducanu’s medical timeout appeared to spark a remarkable turnaround as she raced to a 3-0 lead with two breaks of serve.

But Zheng quickly recovered and levelled the set, before going 5-4 up with an overhead smash that kissed the line, with the crowd gasping as one when they watched a replay of the point.

The momentum shift was complete when Raducanu, serving to stay in the match at 4-5, produced a costly double fault to hand Zheng three match points.

Though the Briton showed fighting spirit to save the first three, Zheng prevailed on her fourth opportunity.

Dissatisfaction despite progress

Raducanu expressed frustration with her performance level, despite reaching her second WTA Tour quarter-final of the season.

Emma Raducanu said she was not too pleased with the level she displayed in her 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Qinwen Zheng at the Queen’s Club Championships on Friday.

“I’m not overly concerned that (the back issue) is something serious, but I know it’s something that’s very annoying and needs proper and careful management,” she added.

Andy Murray Arena witnesses end of British hopes

Playing on the court named after her compatriot Andy Murray, Raducanu was unable to maintain British interest in the tournament heading into the final weekend.

In an entertaining battle at the Andy Murray Arena, Zheng showed she could be a worthy contender heading into Wimbledon.

The defeat means there are no British players remaining in either singles or doubles at Queen’s, after Raducanu and Boulter also lost their women’s doubles match earlier in the week.

Looking ahead to Berlin and Wimbledon

Raducanu’s immediate future remains uncertain as she weighs up whether to compete at next week’s German Open in Berlin.

“I don’t know. I need to think about that and see how it settles and recovers over the next few hours,” she said about her participation.

With Wimbledon looming on the horizon, the British star will be desperate to ensure her back injury doesn’t derail her preparations for the grass court Grand Slam.

Meanwhile, Zheng advances to face American Amanda Anisimova in Saturday’s semi-finals as she continues her impressive adaptation to grass court tennis.

“Emma Raducanu hitting a forehand during her first round match against fellow Brit Harriet Dart at the WTA 250 Nottingham Open in 2021” — by Chris Czermak, taken 15 December 2021. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0