Laura Robson, the British queen of SW19, had to hold back the tears on number one court after bowing out of the Wimbledon Championships.

The 19-year-old went down 6-7, 5-7 to Kaia Kanepi in a tight match, missing out on a place in the quarter-finals for the first time in her Grand Slam senior careeer.

It is a defeat that hangs heavier on Robson’s shoulders than her exit at the same stage at the US Open last year.

She said: “At the US Open I was just pleased to be there. But today I really thought I had a chance of winning, and I was feeling confident going into the match.

“This is much more disappointing, but that is only because of the pressure I put on myself.”

She added: “At the end of the first set, I had my chances on my serve and in the tie-break, as well.

“At that point, I was just trying to will myself to play unbelievable tennis when just making a serve would have been fine.

“But, as cliché as it sounds, it's all part of the learning experience. The more I get myself into those kinds of situations, the more I'm going to benefit.

“However, at the end I was so disappointed and I did not give a wave or anything to the crowd because I had lost, and I was trying not to cry.”

Kanepi has now accounted for two British scalps having beaten Tara Moore in the first round – she now faces Sabine Lisicki – the conqueror of reigning champion Serena Williams – in the next round.

Robson said: “Kaia played a really solid match. She can hit the ball incredibly hard off the ground, so it was tough for me to stay in the rallies.

“I stuck in it for the majority of the second set and then she broke me with a really good return game.”