Emma Raducanu’s hopes of winning a first-ever grass-court title were dashed as she was beaten in straight sets by Qinwen Zheng at Queen’s Club.
The Briton was defeated 6-2 6-4 by the Olympic champion, who topped the seedings for the first-ever women’s event at the prestigious west London venue.
Playing on the newly-named Andy Murray Arena, it was the Chinese who started the brighter, breaking to go 4-2 up after beginning to apply more intense pressure on the Raducanu serve in the fourth game, spurning three break points.
Raducanu threatened to break right back with two opportunities passing her by, but Zheng, who was beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals of the French Open, held her resolve and broke once more to snare first blood.
However, at the start of the second, Raducanu was rejuvenated after a medical timeout.
Mistakes began to creep into Zheng’s rhythm, and Raducanu was able to win a marathon opening game of the set to go a crucial break up in her bid to level the scores.
A dropshot sealed a strong service hold to consolidate the break, and suddenly she was up a double-break, as even a new racquet could not help Zheng refind that golden touch she had in the opening few games.
However, Zheng, the world No. 5, responded immediately by reducing Raducanu’s break-advantage to just one, with it now being the Brit’s turn to start making errors off both wings.
Another two break points went awry for Raducanu in the next game as she refused to back down, before a hold to love demonstrated to the home support that she was not quite down and out yet.
However, the tide would eventually turn as the former US Open champion’s serve began to break down.
She double-faulted to gift Zheng a foothold back into the set, with the score level at 4-4, and the pendulum swinging in the Chinese player’s favour.
Zheng’s forehand was back in its groove with two sublime winners in what proved to be the penultimate game of the match, as Raducanu’s delivery began to get exploited by last year’s Australian Open finalist.
Another double gave Zheng three match points - all three of which she passed up - but Raducanu was not out of the woods just yet, with a lazy dropshot sent packing by a blistering backhand down the line that Raducanu could only frame into the stands.
Match point number four, but this time, the final whistle blew on Raducanu’s superb run, as a final serve crashed into the tape to send Zheng into the last four.
“I think I actually played really well today,” Zheng said afterwards.
“It was a really difficult match for me, especially because she has got more experience than me on a grass court.
“I'm just really happy to get into the semi-final for my first time on grass.
“I know the crowd was not so happy today, but I gave my best and I want to apologise for my shoes. I just don't know how to run on grass,” she explained, referring to when the British crowd began to get aggravated as she decided to change her footwear mid-match.
“I still don't know when I have to change the grass shoes. I think right now it is the time, so in the new shoes, I felt much better.”
Zheng will play either the third seed Emma Navarro or eighth seed Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals, before a potential final showdown with Australian Open champion Madison Keys or German qualifier Tatjana Maria, who stunned former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina earlier in the afternoon.
