The British tennis star was beaten in three sets by New Zealand-born Sun, who won the fourth-round match 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, on Centre Court.
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.”
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.”
