Emma Raducanu's latest injury was dreadfully unfortunate but she was well short of her best against Lulu Sun, writes MATTHEW LAMBERT… it was an unsatisfying end to a highly encouraging tournament
- Emma Raducanu went in search of a first Wimbledon quarter-final on Sunday
- She withdrew from mixed doubles with Andy Murray due to wrist 'soreness'
- Raducanu started shaky against qualifier Lulu Sun and was eventually beaten
A slide, a slip, a tangle of legs and a shake of the head, and Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon campaign was over. She fought through to the end of the match but that tumble in the fourth point of the deciding set cooked her goose.
The 21-year-old went down 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to Lulu Sun, a qualifier from New Zealand. Sun is into the quarter-finals on her Wimbledon debut and her Devonian stepfather is the last shred of Britain left in the singles events.
As decisive as Raducanu’s injury in the deciding set seemed to be, Sun was a worthy winner. Her assault was relentless and 52 winners to Raducanu’s 19 showed which of these two grabbed the match by the scruff of the neck.
Having earned £245,000 in her career, 23-year-old Sun has earned £375,000 in a week. Her leftie, volleying game suits these courts and she is three matches from being the second qualifier, after Raducanu, to win a Grand Slam.
Despite Sun’s early brilliance, Raducanu did manage to chisel out the second set. It is frustrating that a player who has proved herself a thoroughbred frontrunner was denied the opportunity to prove she could win a big match from behind.
Emma Raducanu's Wimbledon came to a crushing end with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 defeat to Lulu Sun
Raducanu put a dismal start behind her to set up a deciding set but she was second best
The British star required treatment after slipping during the third set on Centre Court
Sun hit 51 winners in a sublime display as she upset the odds to reach the quarter-finals
In the first game of the deciding set Raducanu slid into a defensive forehand and lost her footing. She immediately shook her head and clutched her lower left leg.
The trainer was summoned and Raducanu received treatment on that leg and the middle of her back — which she had been touching throughout the match.
Resuming nine minutes later at 15-30 on her serve, the inevitable break followed. Raducanu’s movement was impaired but she remained competitive and fleetingly threatened to break back at 3-2. But when she double faulted to go down 5-2 it was curtains.
‘It was a difficult match,’ said Raducanu. ‘Lulu played really good tennis. I fought really hard. Today her tennis was better. I’ve been managing a stiff back since yesterday so I think it was just exaggerated. I was feeling it, especially on serve.’
It was dreadfully unfortunate for Raducanu but the fact remains she was well short of her best. After two superb performances when she felt she was playing with house money, here it was all her own chips on the table. Son is world No123, casting Raducanu in the role of heavy favourite.
Also in the mix was the sore wrist which was the reason for her withdrawal from the mixed doubles with Andy Murray, and it did seem her back was troubling her a little, too.
Whatever the cocktail of reasons, Raducanu seemed far tighter and less potent than at any stage this fortnight. Her first serve, after a mid-season tweak to slightly abbreviate her action, has been dominant but here it was drained of venom.
Raducanu was in singles action just 24 hours after withdrawing from the mixed doubles
Raducanu (right) felt some right wrist soreness and her withdrawal cost Andy Murray (left) a final farewell at Wimbledon, having lost earlier in the week in men's doubles with his brother
She received attention to her back (pictured) but she was able to complete the contest
After allowing only one break in her first three rounds Raducanu shipped five here; her percentage of first-serve points won plummeted from 72 to 54.
Sun had none of that favourites’ pressure but this was by a mile the biggest match of her life. She had never won a match at a Grand Slam before this fortnight and here she was on Centre Court against a home favourite.
‘While walking towards Centre Court I thought, “Wow, I’ve never seen this”,’ she said. ‘I was taking it in for the first time.’
But those wide eyes narrowed into slits of determination once she got inside this august arena and she played with poise and aggression. Raducanu has had success by using defensive slices or loopy forehands to neutralise points but Sun’s willingness to attack the net took that option away from her. The Kiwi won 23 of 28 points at the net.
One of those five net points Sun lost was a shocker of a forehand volley at break point up in a second set she should have won. The nerves were beginning to show and things became awfully tense.
There was no strapping on either wrist as she took to Centre Court to face qualifier Lulu Sun
Despite the criticism of her mixed doubles withdrawal, she was in good spirits on Sunday
It was anyone’s game as in the third set but all the intrigue was snuffed out by Raducanu’s tumble. An unsatisfying end to a highly encouraging tournament.
As for her opponent, despite the unseasonable cloud and drizzle at least there is one Sun which is shining at the All England Club.
