Raducanu battles injury scare to reach Queen's semi-finals

Emma Raducanu turned a brief injury scare into a statement of resilience at Queen’s Club, where a heavy-strapped thigh did not stop her from reaching the semi-finals. The British No. 2 beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 7-5 at the Andy Murray Arena in London, with a partisan home crowd riding every swing of momentum as Raducanu extended her Queen’s run.

The quarter-final had been pushed back from Friday because of bad weather, adding another layer of disruption to a tournament that has already tested rhythm and patience. Raducanu, ranked No. 42 in the PIF WTA Rankings, looked in control until she slipped early in the second set and needed treatment on her thigh before returning to finish the match. Rakhimova, ranked No. 78, pressed harder after the stoppage, but Raducanu held her nerve through the closing games.

The result sent Raducanu into only the second WTA 500 semi-final of her career and matched her best grass-court result at WTA level, first reached in Nottingham two years ago. It also sharpened the larger question hanging over her season: whether the form that has returned on grass can finally keep pace with a body that has repeatedly interrupted her progress. Raducanu opened her grass-court campaign with a straight-set win over Anna Blinkova, her first WTA Tour victory since March, and Queen’s now offers a clearer test of durability as much as shot-making.

Raducanu’s next opponent is 18-year-old American sixth seed Iva Jovic, who fought past second seed Amanda Anisimova in three sets to book her place in the last four. Katie Boulter’s earlier win over world No. 2 Elena Rybakina kept alive the possibility of an all-British final, giving the home draw real substance rather than a passing burst of sentiment. For British tennis, the day underlined both promise and fragility: two players moved within reach of a marquee final, while Raducanu’s progress again came with her physical condition in plain view.