Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of Wimbledon after losing to qualifier Lulu Sun in the fourth round.
Raducanu was beaten in three sets by New Zealand-born Sun, who won the match 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, on Centre Court.
The British number three, who had a medical time-out early in the deciding set after slipping on the grass, was aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the women’s singles at Wimbledon for the first time.
The 21-year-old had pulled out of her mixed doubles match with Sir Andy Murray on Saturday due to stiffness in her wrist – which denied him the chance of another match at his final Wimbledon.
The former US Open champion received plenty of criticism, with Judy Murray branding the decision “astonishing” before insisting on Sunday she was being sarcastic.
Raducanu shrugged off the intervention, saying: “I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”
‘I stand by the decision’
She insisted it was not a mistake to accept the invitation, saying: “I was feeling fine, then yesterday morning just woke up with stiffness. I have to prioritise myself, my singles and my body.
“I think it was the right decision. I stand by the decision. Obviously it was a tough decision, though, because it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.”
Raducanu withdrew from her mixed-doubles match with Andy Murray. Pic: Reuters
She added: “Of course, I didn’t want to take his last match away from him. But, at the end of the day, I think a lot of the players in a similar situation would have done the same thing.
“Going into the tournament, I wasn’t expecting to make fourth round. So, for me, it was a no-brainer [to accept the invitation]. He didn’t ask me, ‘If you’re still in the singles, are you going to play?’ Given how I woke up yesterday morning, it was for me a no-brainer.”
Raducanu, currently ranked 135 in the world, had been the last remaining Briton in either singles draw at the All England Club.
For Sun, it was the first time she had played on Centre Court.
After her victory, she said: “It was a great match. I really dug deep to get the win.
“I really had to fight tooth and nail against her [Raducanu] because she was obviously going to run for every ball and fight until the end. I don’t even have the words right now.”
Raducanu reacts after falling during her match. Pic: Reuters
Speaking about her debut on the famous grass court, Sun, who has a world ranking of 123, said: “While walking through, towards the Centre Court, I was just looking around and taking it all in for the first time.
“I’m just super happy to be able to play on this court in front of all of you. It’s just such an amazing experience for me.”
During the match, Sun made 44 unforced errors while Raducanu had 21, but she also hit 52 winners to just 19 for her British opponent.
Sun also broke Raducanu’s serve five times and won 23 of 28 points at the net.
The 23-year-old, who has a Croatian father and a Chinese mother, will play Croatian Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals.
Raducanu was playing at her first Wimbledon for two years.
Pic: PA
The Briton, who was a qualifier when she won the women’s US Open singles title in 2021, missed much of last year following wrist and ankle surgery.
She pulled out of French Open qualifying in May to focus on her Wimbledon preparation.
She returned to action in June, reaching the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open and then the quarter-finals in Eastbourne.
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Before that, she had not played competitive tennis since her first-round loss at the Madrid Open in April.
She was given a wildcard to play at Wimbledon this year – her current world ranking was not high enough to earn her automatic entry.
