At least Emma Raducanu knew the feeling, of being the unknown, overlooked quantity and stepping onto the big stage to attack with merciless intent. But at Wimbledon, the strategy that won Raducanu the US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier has now been used against her.
As New Zealand player Lulu Sun thundered another crushing forehand winner past Raducanu on Centre Court, the world No 123 advanced to the quarter-finals having started the tournament in the first round of qualifying two weeks ago.
A 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 scoreline illustrates one story from this match, a one-sided first set, a battle in the second, a challenging third after Raducanu slipped on the grass and called a medical timeout that rather stalled her comeback.
But a winners’ count of 52 for Sun to Raducanu’s 19 tells another tale. The Sun, really, was on fire, as the last British player in the singles draw was wiped off Centre Court by a barrage of forehand strikes from the 23-year-old only making her second appearance at a grand slam.
Having beaten the ninth seed Maria Sakkari in the previous round, Raducanu had herself warned that her next opponent could be more dangerous – and so it proved. Sun now has seven wins in a row at the All England Club and, having beaten the only player to have previously won a grand slam from qualifying, will believe she can go all the way. Certainly, she played well above her ranking of 123 after taking to Centre Court for the first time.
Raducanu, though, will regret how quickly she lost the momentum she had worked so hard to generate. After forcing the third set with an inspired return game, Raducanu slipped at the start of the decider and landed awkwardly with her legs apart. She took a medical timeout for treatment on her left leg and lower back and lost the decisive break of serve immediately after the restart. Sun was in tears after winning match point, barely able to speak to Centre Court.
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