Emma Raducanu just battled through an on-court slip to reach the semifinals of the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club. The British star required a medical timeout during her quarterfinal but fought back to win in straight sets against Kamilla Rakhimova. The concerning thing is that she will have to play Iva Jovic in the semis in just an hour, dictated by the tournament’s scheduling fiasco.
Emma Raducanu Suffers Injury Scare in Queen’s Club Quarterfinal, Fitness Now a Major Question Ahead of Jovic Semifinal
Raducanu’s resilience was on full display at Queen’s Club as she overcame a frightening slip to defeat Rakhimova 6-3, 7-5. Up a set and a break in the second, the 23-year-old took a tumble on the grass. It required an immediate medical timeout, and Raducanu played for many games with her left thigh heavily strapped before eventually removing the bandage to close out the match.
In the second set, Emma Raducanu slipped and required medical attention
She played for a while with a bandage on her thigh before removing it
We hope she will be fully fit for her semifinal match against Iva Jovic later this afternoon pic.twitter.com/fuZ9Fby8pF
— RADUCANU 🇬🇧 UPDATES (@RaducanuEmmaFan) June 13, 2026
Addressing the home crowd after the hard-fought win, Raducanu remained positive. “Yeah, I mean, I think right now it’s a mix of adrenaline, but yeah, it was tough to take that fall,” she said. “I feel like I was in a pretty good spot in the match, and you know on grass these things can happen, and I found it pretty tough to kind of regroup. But I’m really proud of how I did that in the end with the help of you guys, so thank you.”
Meanwhile, the 2026 HSBC Championships have faced criticism for scheduling chaos, driven by rigid broadcast contracts that prohibit the secondary court from being televised. When rain washed out Thursday’s matches, the tournament authority was forced to play catch-up, packing multiple matches into the same day on the Andy Murray Arena itself, as the secondary court, Court 1, is non-televised.
Because of this, top seed Elena Rybakina had to play her Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches on the same day, and she lost the second one to Katie Boulter. Raducanu’s quarterfinal was supposed to take place on Friday but got pushed to Saturday morning, leaving her with just hours to rest her injured thigh before taking the court again.
This deep tournament run is a much-needed breakthrough in a difficult 2026 season for the former US Open champion. After reaching the third round at Indian Wells in March, Raducanu was sidelined for over two months due to a post-viral illness. Her return to the court started with a tough first-round exit at the Strasbourg Open, followed by another early exit at Roland Garros just weeks ago.
KEEP READING: ‘It’s A Problem’ – Elena Rybakina’s Drastic Social Media Move Stuns Tennis Community After Queen’s Club Exit
However, back on British grass and recently reunited with her 2021 US Open-winning coach, Andrew Richardson, Raducanu looks hopeful. She defeated Anna Blinkova 6-0, 6-3, and No. 7 seed Sorana Cirstea in straight sets before battling past Rakhimova.
Raducanu knows that the quick turnaround will test her, though she is optimistic about the home crowd’s support. But it remains to be seen whether she will be fit as she aims to punch her ticket to the final.
