Raducanu outclassed by Zheng at Queen's

Britain's Emma Raducanu was outclassed by world number five Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals at Queen's.

Raducanu showed flashes of her quality but ultimately fell 6-2 6-4 to the Olympic champion in front of a packed crowd.

The 22-year-old took a medical timeout after the first set, having struggled with back spasms over the past few months.

She started the better in the second set and led by a double break but could not keep the big-hitting Zheng at bay.

"I've played five matches in a pretty short amount of time," Raducanu, who also played two doubles matches alongside Katie Boulter at Queen's, told BBC Sport.

"I'm probably feeling that, so I need to let the back rest and see how it goes from there.

"I'm not overly concerned that it's something serious, but I know it's something that's very annoying and needs proper and careful management."

Raducanu was given a true physical test by Zheng, but it was another defeat that showed the gap between the British number one and the world's very best.

China's Zheng will face Amanda Anisimova in Saturday's semi-final after the American beat third seed Emma Navarro 6-3 6-3.

Qualifier Tatjana Maria earlier stunned former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina to set up a semi-final meeting with Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

Maria, 37, beat Rybakina 6-4 7-6 (7-4), while Keys fought back to see off Russia's Diana Shnaider 2-6 6-3 6-4.

'I need to raise my level to challenge the best'

There was reason for Raducanu to be confident against Zheng, who is still finding her feet on the grass court and has a serve that can waver when under pressure.

World number 37 Raducanu had also made relatively serene progress through her first two matches, dropping just eight games across four sets.

But, as Raducanu found against Iga Swiatek in Melbourne and Paris, and Coco Gauff in Italy, there is a different, consistent level needed to beat the players for who winning is a habit.

In an edgy start, Raducanu put pressure on Zheng's serve while saving break points in her own games.

But Zheng broke through at the seventh attempt, a blistering backhand down the line silencing the crowd, who had earlier voiced their displeasure after Zheng had to change her shoes midway through the game.

Raducanu kept up the pressure, creating an immediate break-back opportunity, but Zheng's huge groundstrokes kept her at bay, and a rushed forehand into the net handed the top seed the first set.

Raducanu left court for a medical timeout on her back but took advantage as Zheng's first serve all but disappeared on her return.

With the wind picking up, Raducanu produced a series of ruthless returns to Zheng's second serve and quickly found herself 3-0 up.

But Zheng wrestled a break back and upped her intensity when needed, creeping forward to attack Raducanu's serve. A double fault handed Zheng the break back and she reeled off four games in a row to close out the match.

"I've improved a lot and done a lot good work behind the scenes but there's a lot to go to get to the next level," Raducanu said.

"They are stronger than me and had more time training - I need to do the same. I need to raise my level."

Raducanu is scheduled to compete at the grass-court event in Berlin next week but said she would consult with her team before making any decisions.

'Super proud' Maria stuns Rybakina

Earlier, world number 86 Maria used her slice-heavy style of play to outfox 11th-ranked Rybakina.

Maria broke the Kazakh for the first time in the competition on her way to taking the first set, before the pair traded early breaks in the second.

Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Maria was unable to serve out the match at 5-4 but showed no signs of nerves in the tie-break to cement her place in the last four.

Maria, who took two breaks from the tour to have her two daughters, told the crowd: "It's a perfect example to never give up and to always keep going.

"I'm super proud and I hope in a few years you will see my eldest daughter in the same stage here!"

The German will now face Keys, who battled back from a messy first set to beat rising talent Shnaider.

A below-par Keys succumbed to the clean ball-striking of Shnaider, who broke serve twice on her way to taking the opening set.

But back came the American, who made 12 unforced errors in the opening set, as she upped her level considerably, with a sole break enough to wrap up the decider.