Emma Raducanu crashes out of Wimbledon with defeat to qualifier after awkward fall
Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of Wimbledon as she suffered a defeat to qualifier Lulu Sun.
Having claimed the scalps of ninth seed Maria Sakkari and seasoned pro Elise Mertens earlier in the tournament, Raducanu was beaten by the world no.123, who won 6-2 5-7 6-2 in the fourth round tie.
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Raducanu is out of Wimbledon in a match that saw her require treatment from the physioCredit: AFPHowever, the momentum of the match turned in Sun’s favour moments after Raducanu levelled the match against the impressive New Zealander as the 2021 US Open champion fell awkwardly on court, resulting in several minutes of assessment and treatment.
The defeat for Raducanu will be hugely disappointing though as she couldn’t quite better her previous SW19 best, which came back in 2021.
Raducanu was outplayed in the first set as Sun secured it impressively, winning 6-2.
Sun seemingly had an answer for everything Raducanu threw at her in the second set, with a string of impressive and powerful shots to keeping her at bay.
READ MORE ON WIMBLEDONBut the 21-year-old Brit showed huge grit to break her opponent at 6-5 up to take the match to a decider.
Every fan inside Centre Court had their hearts in their mouths in the third point of the third set when Raducanu took her tumble.
As she look to retrieve the ball from the right baseline, Raducanu fell awkwardly after her left leg skidded and jarred.
Raducanu was seen shaking her head immediately after falling and promptly received an assessment from the physio before being granted a medical timeout.
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Raducanu took a tumble as she looked to return on the right baselineCredit: Getty
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But she fell awkwardly and the match was halted for several minutesCredit: AFP
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Raducanu carried on but couldn’t get a grip on things thereafterCredit: Getty
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Raducanu wasn’t helped by Sun playing some impressive tennis eitherCredit: GettyAfter getting her allotted three minutes of treatment where she was massaged on her back, Raducanu returned to carry on the match but had her serve broken by Sun, who closed out the match to win it 6-2.
Sun will play Croatian Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals.
The 21-year-old had inspired hopes of more US Open-style heroics by coming through her opening three matches without dropping a set.
But she looked nervous against powerful New Zealander Sun, the first qualifier to make the women’s singles quarter-finals here in 14 years, and, despite battling to force a deciding set, slumped to a 6-2 5-7 6-2 defeat.
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Raducanu was due to play with Andy Murray in the mixed doubles but pulled out at the last moment in the lead-up to her defeatLeft-hander Sun, who had never won a Grand Slam main-draw match before this week and is now on a seven-match winning streak, racked up 52 winners compared with just 19 from Raducanu and will now face Vekic for a place in the semi-finals.
It has not been a comfortable 24 hours for Raducanu, with the positive vibes from her three impressive wins given a hammering by her decision to deny Andy Murray a Wimbledon swansong by pulling out of their mixed doubles opener citing a stiff wrist.
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She found herself the subject of unwanted headlines, with the social media contribution of Judy Murray – albeit subsequently claimed not to be a criticism of Raducanu – adding fuel to the fire.
The strapping on her right wrist that had been present in practice on Saturday was nowhere to be seen, and Raducanu looked happy and relaxed hitting with fellow British player Liam Broady ahead of the match.
But, from the start of the contest on Centre Court, the former US Open champion, who knows all too well what qualifiers can achieve, seemed anything but comfortable.
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Raducanu showed great spirit to take the match to a decider but Sun was simply too goodCredit: GettyHaving swung freely through her last two matches against much-higher-ranked opponents, here all the pressure was on Raducanu, and it showed.
Her serve, which has been a key strength all tournament, was off and her groundstrokes lacked their usual fizz.
Sun, on the other hand, looked like playing on Centre Court was something she had been doing all her life, the 23-year-old crunching the ball and breaking the Raducanu serve – which the Briton had not dropped since the first round – twice to go 3-0 up.
Like Raducanu, Sun comes from a cosmopolitan background, with a Chinese mother and Croatian father – as well as a British-German stepfather – while she recently switched back to representing New Zealand having previously played under the flag of Switzerland, where she grew up.
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Sun was emotional once her victory was confirmedCredit: GettyRaducanu retrieved one of the breaks but her comeback was short-lived as Sun, who defeated eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in round one, powered her way to another break and then the set.
Raducanu was under pressure again at the start of the second but this time managed to hold on to her serve, with Sun, ranked 123, putting a simple forehand volley long on break point at 1-1.
Raducanu then had two break points in the next game but was unable to change the momentum, missing two backhand returns off second serves.
She hung on again in the seventh game but at least produced some of her best tennis to save two more break points.
Raducanu’s efforts in keeping her nose in front on serve were rewarded at 5-6 when Sun tightened up a little, missing an overhead and then going long on the second set point.
However, the mood changed in the opening game of the third set when Raducanu slipped while hitting a forehand, sitting on the ground shaking her head before calling the trainer, who worked on her left hip, leg and back, which she had been periodically holding during the second set.
Read More on talkSPORTRaducanu underwent surgery on her left ankle last year, as well as both wrists, after slipping at a tournament in Auckland.
She restarted in confident fashion with an ace but looked a little uncertain in her movement and dropped serve. The crowd tried to inspire Raducanu into another fightback but a double fault cost her a second break at 2-4 and Sun clinched a deserved victory.
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Raducanu’s exit means there are no Brits left in the men’s and women’s singles draws at WimbledonCredit: AFP
