Laura Robson’s dream run through Wimbledon came to an end as the British number one was overpowered by Estonian big-hitter Kaia Kanepi.
She went a break ahead early on, but Kanepi’s power from the back of the court proved too much for the teenager and she took the first set on a tie-break.
Robson lost her temper on a couple of occasions and it showed in her play as she succumbed to a 7-6 (8/6) 7-5 defeat, ending her hopes of becoming the first British woman to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 29 years.The was on the ropes early in the second set, handing Kanepi a break pointin the first game. The British number one responded perfectly though by hittinga 99mph ace before going on to hold.
There was a brief glimmer of hope in the fourth game as Kanepi served, but Robson cleared the baseline at 30-30 when there was little pressure on her.
Robson let out a huge squeal in frustration at losing the sixth game of the set to love. The tantrum made her lose her focus as Kanepi gained two break points, but Robson answered by sending down a pair of unreturnable serves.
Robson continued to struggle to cope with Kanepi’s power. The Englishwoman changed her tactics in the eighth game, coming to the net, but she ploughed into the net at 40-30.
The key blow came in the 11th game. Serving to move 6-5 ahead, Robson capitulated, offering Kanepi three break points. The Estonian needed just one as Robson again netted.
That offered Kanepi the chance to serve out for the match. Robson saved two match points to take the game to deuce and Kanepi wasted two more chances to seal the match.
The home crowd sensed a possible comeback, but Kanepi put paid to those hopes with a typically big forehand from the back of the court.