For Donna Vekic, the week at Queen’s nearly ended before it began.
Vevic arrived in London feeling under the weather, navigating a coaching change and needing to come through qualifying just to earn a spot in the main draw. Instead, she fell in the final round of qualifying to Anna Blinkova and appeared headed for an early exit.
Then came an unexpected reprieve. When Marta Kostyuk withdrew with an injury, Vekic entered the draw as a lucky loser — and made the most of her second chance. By week’s end, she had captured the biggest title of her career, winning her fifth WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz singles crown, her second on grass, and becoming just the seventh lucky loser in the Open Era to win a title.
“I was just really grateful that I had another opportunity to play,” Vekic said to press after her 6-0, 7-6 (6) win over Emma Raducanu in the final. “It was tough with the wind, with the rain. It’s been a long week.”
Not only had it been a long week for Vekic, but it’s been a long 12 months. Ranked No. 22 at this time last season, the Croatian endured a disappointing 2025 grass-court campaign, failing to advance beyond the second round in any of the four tournaments she entered.
The biggest blow came at Wimbledon in 2025. After reaching the semifinals the previous year, Vekic exited in the second round and lost a significant chunk of ranking points. By Indian Wells this season, she had fallen outside the Top 100, and she slipped as low as No. 115 ahead of Charleston. She also had not reached a tour-level final since capturing the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As the tour shifted to grass, Vekic looked for a fresh start. She found it in a call to David Felgate, the coach she trusted most.
Felgate had been part of Vekic’s journey from the beginning, coaching her from age 12 and taking her to Wimbledon for the first time.
“You raised me,” Vekic said to Felgate on-court after winning her first title at the 500 level. “Without you, I wouldn’t even know what grass is [laughing].
“When I called you two weeks ago to help me for this year’s grass-court season, you said yes. Without you, I wouldn’t be here for this trophy.”
The coaching change paid immediate dividends. Vekic arrived at Queen’s ranked No. 76 and leaves London at No. 33 after the biggest title run of her season. Depending on her results over the next two weeks, she could also be in position to earn a Wimbledon seed.
“It’s always tricky when you’re changing coaches in the middle of the season, but I’m really proud of myself that I took this decision,” Vekic said to press. “I’m really grateful to David for being able to help me and being onboard straightaway.
“It’s a little bit of a full-circle moment winning this title with him here.”
In the main draw, Vekic won all but one of her five matches in straight sets, and with various delays throughout the week because of weather, she had to complete her second-round match and play an entire three-set quarterfinal against Karolina Pliskova on Friday. Despite the long week, she’s physically leaving London in good condition.
Not only did Vekic have to overcome her opponents, she also had to contend with partisan crowds. Three of her five victories came against British players, including Katie Boulter in the semifinals and Emma Raducanu in the final.
“Today wasn’t the easiest, for me, I knew obviously they were going to cheer for her, but the atmosphere was absolutely incredible,” Vekic said to press.
There wasn’t much time for celebration. Vekic was headed straight to the airport for Berlin, though she already had one thing on her mind: the FIFA World Cup.
Croatia opens Group L play against England on Wednesday — a matchup that carries a little extra significance after Vekic spent the week in London beating three British players en route to the biggest title of her career.
“Of course I will be watching. Maybe they can follow my lead!”
