Injuries hinder Emma Raducanu in shocking upset vs. Lulu Sun

Injuries continue to hamper British star Emma Raducanu.

Facing qualifier Lulu Sun in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon on Sunday, Raducanu slipped and twisted her ankle at the beginning of the third set, requiring a medical timeout. The 21-year-old recovered but couldn't mount a comeback, losing 2-6, 7-5, 2-6 in two hours and 50 minutes.

Raducanu withdrew from mixed doubles with Andy Murray on Saturday due to stiffness in her wrist. It's fair to wonder whether the ankle and wrist injuries impacted her in the shocking loss.

Sun still deserves kudos. The 23-year-old New Zealander looked sharper throughout the match. According to IBM SlamTracker, Sun won 82 percent of her net points and hit 52 winners, compared to 19 for Raducanu.

Sun was also making her debut at Centre Court, which makes her poised performance even more impressive.

"Emma, it was a great match against her, and she really dug deep in there to get the win from me, so I really had to fight tooth and nail against her," Sun said in an emotional post-match interview. "Because she's going to fight with every ball until the end and I am just incredibly… I don't even have the words right now."

According to OptaAce, Sun is the seventh qualifier to make the women's quarterfinals at Wimbledon in the Open Era. She will try to pull off another upset against Croatian Donna Vekic on Tuesday.

Raducanu, meanwhile, must find ways to stay healthy. She missed several matches in 2023 with wrist and ankle issues. In 2022, she lost in the second round of Wimbledon while battling a back injury.
If Raducanu solves this problem, she may fulfill the potential she flashed earlier in her career. In 2021, she won the U.S. Open at 18.