Sun, Fernandez bow out of Wimbledon doubles

Lulu Sun’s time at this year’s Wimbledon has come to an end, following a 6-2 6-1 loss to Asia Muhammad from the United States and the Netherlands’ Demi Schuurs.

Partnering with Leylah Fernandez, Sun faced a tough match-up against the sixth seeds in the women’s doubles

However, the scoreline didn’t reflect how close this match was. It took 17 minutes to play the first three games, with the aggressive style of play from Sun and Fernandez matching up with Muhammad and Schuurs’ defensive wall.

But Sun and Fernandez, from Canada, weren’t able to convert any of the five break points they had and their opponents became most consistent as the match went on.

“It was a quite difficult draw, not really a first-round match up you want to face,” Sun said afterwards. 

“But it was also not the best match from me and Leylah. We had a lot of opportunities in the first part of the first set, and then they started to be the aggressor, so they didn't give us a lot of chances when they came forward, and they were varying the different types of balls to make it hard to rally with them. 

“There were a lot of deuce games we had that we didn't opportunise and then some moments where I played better and Lelah didn't, and then some moments Leylah played better and I didn't. So it was always one or the other.”

It has been a mixed grass court season for Sun.

She recorded one of the best wins of her career, defeating world No 16 Daria Kasatkina in Eastbourne, and also reached the second round in ’s-Hertogenbosch.

But there were first round losses in Nottingham and Wimbledon and her world ranking will drop to around 90 when they’re next updated. 

“I always love playing on grass, and I think it's, it's amazing always that we're able to play on it, even though it's for such a short time,” reflected Sun.

“But unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of wins. I did get some good matches here and there, not as in wins, but against good opponents and I can potentially turn that and work on it for the end of the season to create something.”