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Lulu Sun

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Lulu Sun
Sun at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships
Country (sports)
ResidenceGeneva, Switzerland
Born (2001-04-14) 14 April 2001 (age 23)
Te Anau, Southland, New Zealand
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro2022
PlaysLeft-handed (two-handed backhand)
CollegeTexas
CoachVladimír Pláteník[3]
Prize moneyUS$ 954,459
Singles
Career record237–131
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 39 (9 September 2024)
Current rankingNo. 40 (28 October 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (2024)
French OpenQ2 (2024)
WimbledonQF (2024)
US Open1R (2024)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games1R (2024)
Doubles
Career record66–49
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 212 (9 September 2024)
Current rankingNo. 244 (28 October 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
US Open1R (2024)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games1R (2024)
Team competitions
BJK Cup3–3
Last updated on: 28 October 2024.

Lulu Sun (born 14 April 2001) is a New Zealand professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 41 by the WTA, achieved on 26 August 2024, and a best doubles ranking of No. 212, reached on 9 September 2024.

Early and personal life

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Sun was born in Te Anau, New Zealand to a Chinese mother and a Croatian father. Sun briefly lived in Shanghai thereafter.[4] From the age of five she was raised in Geneva, Switzerland, where she completed her school education while still visiting New Zealand to visit family, maintaining her deep bond with New Zealand.[5]

She attended college in the United States at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a bachelor's degree in international relations and global studies in 2022[6] and completing her degree in just 3 years.[7]

Sun speaks English, French, and Mandarin Chinese fluently; she expressed interest in learning Korean and Japanese.[8]

She has an older sister, Phenomena Sun (born 1998), who played in professional tournaments until 2016.[9]

She represented Croatia and then Switzerland until 2024.

Career

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Girls and Juniors

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As a teenager, Sun entered a number of ITF Women's Circuit events, playing as Lulu Radovcic[10] and later changed her last name to Sun, her mother's maiden name.[citation needed]

Sun represented Switzerland as a junior, finishing runner-up with Violet Apisah in the 2018 Australian Open girls' doubles.[11][12] She also played under the New Zealand flag at junior Wimbledon that year, losing in the second round in singles and the first round in doubles.[13]

2021–2022: NCAA champion, professional debut

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Before turning professional, Sun played one season of college tennis for the Texas Longhorns in 2020–21.[14] She went 15–1 on singles court three and 6–1 on court two. In the final of the 2021 NCAA tournament, Sun won the championship-clinching match for the Longhorns to beat Pepperdine 4–3. Sun partnered Kylie Collins in the team's top doubles spot, going 22–4 in dual matches, and they reached the final of the NCAA doubles tournament but fell to North Carolina's Makenna Jones and Elizabeth Scotty.[15]

In May 2022, she won her first big ITF title at the Saint-Gaudens Open, partnering Fernanda Contreras in doubles.[16] She made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the Morocco Open two days later, where she received a wildcard into the singles draw.[17]

2024: Major, WTA 1000 & Olympics debuts, historic Wimbledon quarterfinal, WTA 500 final, top 40

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Sun made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open after qualifying[18][19] but was beaten in the first round by Elisabetta Cocciaretto.[20]

On her WTA 1000 debut, she recorded her first win at that level at the Dubai Championships as a wildcard, following the retirement of Paula Badosa.[21] She lost to ninth seed Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.[22]

In April, Sun played under the New Zealand flag for the first time as part of the team for the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup.[23][1] In May, Sun won the singles and doubles titles at the W100 Bonita Springs Championship in Florida.[24] She reached the top 125 on 17 June 2024.[citation needed]

She qualified for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships making her debut at this major and upset eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in the first round.[25] It was her first top 10 win, and also her first completed victory over any player in the top 100.[5] Next, she reached the third round with a win over fellow qualifier Yulia Starodubtseva[26] and the fourth with a win over Zhu Lin.[27] She equalled the feat of reaching the fourth round at the All England Club as the first New Zealand female player in the Open Era, and second after Dame Ruia Morrison in 1957 and 1959.[28][29] She reached her first quarterfinal with a win over Emma Raducanu becoming the first New Zealand woman to ever reach that stage at Wimbledon in the Open Era. She was only the second woman from New Zealand to reach a major quarterfinal, following Belinda Cordwell at the 1989 Australian Open.[30] Her run finally ended in the quarterfinals where she was beaten in three sets by Donna Vekić.[31][32] She would go on to represent New Zealand at the 2024 Olympics in singles, where she entered as an alternate, as well as in doubles.[33]

Ranked No. 64, she qualified for the Cincinnati Open making her debut at this WTA 1000, and defeated Linda Nosková in the first round,[34] before losing to 15th seed Marta Kostyuk.[35]

Sun followed this result by reaching her first WTA Tour-level final at the newly upgraded WTA 500 Monterrey Open, with wins over Chloé Paquet,[36] María Lourdes Carlé,[37][38] Erika Andreeva[39][40] and third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.[41] She lost the final to Linda Nosková in straight sets.[42] As a result she reached world No. 41 on 26 August 2024 and the top 40 two weeks later.[citation needed]

At the US Open, Sun retired due to a hip injury after losing the opening set of her first round match against Lucia Bronzetti.[43] Having taken a month off tour, she returned to the court at the China Open, but lost in the first round to Ashlyn Krueger.[44] Sun withdrew from her next scheduled tournament, the Hong Kong Tennis Open, and announced she was bringing an end to her 2024 season.[45]

In December, Sun was named WTA Newcomer of the Year.[46][47]

Performance timelines

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Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles

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Tournament 2022 2023 2024 SR W–L Win%
Australian Open A A 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
French Open A A Q2 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Wimbledon Q3 A QF 0 / 1 4–1 80%
US Open A A 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 4–3 0 / 3 4–3 57%

WTA Tour finals

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Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

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Legend
Grand Slam (0–0)
WTA 1000 (0–0)
WTA 500 (0–1)
WTA 250 (0–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–1)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Finals by setting
Outdoor (0–1)
Indoor (0–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Aug 2024 Monterrey Open, Mexico WTA 500 Hard Czech Republic Linda Nosková 6–7(6–8), 4–6

ITF Circuit finals

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Singles: 12 (7 titles, 5 runner-ups)

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Legend
W100 tournaments (1–0)
W80 tournaments (1–0)
W60 tournaments (0–1)
W50 tournaments (1–0)
W25 tournaments (1–2)
W15 tournaments (3–2)
Finals by surface
Hard (6–4)
Clay (1–1)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Oct 2017 ITF Nonthaburi, Thailand W15 Hard South Korea Choi Ji-hee 2–6, 3–6
Win 1–1 Feb 2019 ITF Port Pirie, Australia W15 Hard United States Jennifer Elie 6–2, 6–3
Win 2–1 Feb 2019 ITF Perth, Australia W15 Hard United States Jennifer Elie 7–6(1), 6–3
Loss 2–2 Nov 2020 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt W15 Hard Chinese Taipei Joanna Garland 5–7, 3–6
Win 3–2 Dec 2020 ITF Monastir, Tunisia W15 Hard France Carole Monnet 6–0, 2–6, 6–2
Loss 3–3 Jun 2021 ITF Palma del Río, Spain W25 Hard Spain Rebeka Masarova 3–6, 6–1, 6–7(4)
Win 4–3 Jul 2021 ITF Lisbon, Portugal W25 Hard Australia Ellen Perez 6–4, 6–4
Loss 4–4 Jan 2023 ITF Boca Raton, United States W25 Clay Mexico Renata Zarazúa 2–6, 5–7
Win 5–4 Aug 2023 Aberto da República, Brazil W80 Hard France Léolia Jeanjean 6–4, 4–6, 6–2
Loss 5–5 Oct 2023 Rancho Santa Fe Open, US W60 Hard Ukraine Yuliia Starodubtseva 5–7, 3–6
Win 6–5 Feb 2024 ITF Roehampton, United Kingdom W50 Hard (i) United Kingdom Heather Watson 7–5, 7–5
Win 7–5 May 2024 Bonita Springs Championship, US W100 Clay Australia Maya Joint 6–1, 6–3

Doubles: 10 (4 titles, 6 runner–ups)

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Legend
W100 tournaments (1–0)
W60/75 tournaments (2–1)
W50 tournaments (1–0)
W25 tournaments (0–3)
W15 tournaments (0–2)
Finals by surface
Hard (2–5)
Clay (2–1)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Jan 2019 Playford International, Australia W25 Hard Australia Amber Marshall Italy Giulia Gatto-Monticone
Italy Anastasia Grymalska 		2–6, 3–6
Loss 0–2 Nov 2020 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt W15 Hard Switzerland Valentina Ryser Russia Ksenia Laskutova
Russia Daria Mishina 		6–7(3), 7–6(2), [10–12]
Loss 0–3 Nov 2020 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt W15 Hard Switzerland Valentina Ryser Russia Elina Avanesyan
Belarus Iryna Shymanovich 		4–6, 1–6
Loss 0–4 Jun 2021 ITF Palma del Río, Spain W25 Clay Japan Himari Sato Japan Eri Hozumi
Russia Valeria Savinykh 		6–7(6), 3–6
Win 1–4 May 2022 Open Saint-Gaudens, France W60 Clay Mexico Fernanda Contreras Gómez Greece Valentini Grammatikopoulou
Anastasia Tikhonova 		7–5, 6–2
Win 2–4 Feb 2023 Georgia's Rome Open, US W60 Hard (i) Hungary Fanny Stollár Japan Mana Ayukawa
Czech Republic Gabriela Knutson 		6–3, 6–0
Loss 2–5 Jul 2023 ITF Corroios, Portugal W25 Hard Belgium Sofia Costoulas Australia Talia Gibson
Australia Petra Hule 		3–6, 6–3, [6–10]
Win 3–5 Feb 2024 Trnava Indoor, Slovakia W50 Hard (i) Japan Moyuka Uchijima Poland Weronika Falkowska
Hungary Fanny Stollár 		6–4, 7–6(3)
Loss 3–6 Mar 2024 Říčany Open, Czech Republic W75 Hard (i) Hungary Fanny Stollár Czech Republic Gabriela Knutson
Czech Republic Tereza Valentová 		4–6, 6–3, [4–10]
Win 4–6 May 2024 Bonita Springs Championship, US W100 Clay Hungary Fanny Stollár Greece Valentini Grammatikopoulou
Ukraine Valeriya Strakhova 		6–4, 7–6(3)

Top 10 wins

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She has a 1–0 record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10

# Opponent Rank Event Surface Round Score LSR
2024
1. China Zheng Qinwen 8 Wimbledon Championships, UK Grass 1R 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 123

Junior Grand Slam finals

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Doubles: 1 (runner-up)

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Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponent Score
Loss 2018 Australian Open Hard Papua New Guinea Violet Apisah Chinese Taipei Liang En-shuo
China Wang Xinyu 		6–7(4–7), 6–4, [5–10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "ASB Classic star Lulu Sun confirms switch from Switzerland to New Zealand". Tennis New Zealand. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Lulu Sun's announcement on her Instagram".
  3. ^ "Lulu Sun on her switch to New Zealand, Te Anau memories, Olympic dreams and French Open hopes". 17 May 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  4. ^ Eccleshare, Charlie. "Meet Lulu Sun, the Kiwi qualifier who took Wimbledon by storm". The New York Times.
  5. ^ a b "Six things to know about Lulu Sun after her Wimbledon upset of Zheng". 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  6. ^ "UT Athletics announces 2022 Spring Commencement participants". Texas Longhorns. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  7. ^ Eccleshare, Charlie. "Lulu Sun: the Kiwi tennis qualifier who took Wimbledon by storm". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  8. ^ Eccleshare, Charlie (9 July 2024). "Lulu Sun: the Kiwi tennis qualifier who took Wimbledon by storm". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Phenomena Radovčić Overview". Women's Tennis Association – Official Website.
  10. ^ "Tennis Abstract: 2017 Gwalior $15K Tournament Results, Stats, and Analysis". tennisabstract.com.
  11. ^ "Liang makes history for Chinese Taipei, wins girls' Aussie Open". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Liang clinches girls' title". Australian Open. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Teen tennis prospect Lulu Sun sends signal on sticking with New Zealand". www.stuff.co.nz. 8 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Lulu Sun – Women's Tennis". University of Texas Athletics.
  15. ^ Gates, Billy (7 July 2024). "Lulu Sun, former Texas Longhorn, advances to women's quarterfinals at Wimbledon". KXAN-TV. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Lulu Sun | Player Stats & More – WTA Official". Women's Tennis Association.
  17. ^ "Welcome to the tour: All of 2022's WTA debutantes". WTA Tennis. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Aussie Open 2024's Slam debuts: Korneeva, Seidel, Starodubtseva and more". Women's Tennis Association.
  19. ^ "What next for Lulu Sun and Tennis New Zealand?". Stuff NZ.
  20. ^ "Australian Open: Cocciaretto books spot in second round". Tennis Majors. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Dubai Open: Wildcard Sun through to second round after Badosa retirement". Tennis Majors. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Ostapenko marches past wild card Sun into Dubai third round". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  23. ^ "The inside story of Lulu Sun's switch to New Zealand". New Zealand Herald. 29 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Sun shines in Florida with biggest title yet at W100 Bonita Springs". International Tennis Federation. 7 May 2024.
  25. ^ "Wimbledon: Sun sets for Qinwen Zheng as the eighth seed exits in first round". Tennis Majors. July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  26. ^ "Wimbledon: Qualifier Sun moves into third round with win over Starodubtseva". Tennis Majors. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Wimbledon: Sun makes history for New Zealand". Tennis Majors. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  28. ^ "Lulu Sun reaches Wimbledon's fourth round after beating Lin Zhu in straight sets". New Zealand Herald. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  29. ^ "New Zealand-born, Swiss-raised Lulu Sun shining brighter than ever at Wimbledon". tennis.com. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  30. ^ "New Zealand's Sun stuns Raducanu to make Wimbledon quarterfinals". WTAtennis.com. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  31. ^ "Vekic outlasts Sun at Wimbledon, makes first Grand Slam semifinal". WTA. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  32. ^ "Wimbledon 2024: Qualifier Lulu Sun's dream run over as Donna Vekic reaches first semi-final". London Evening Standard. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  33. ^ "Sun named on New Zealand Olympic team after historic Wimbledon win". Newshub. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  34. ^ "Lulu Sun makes it through qualifying at Cincinnati". Tennis New Zealand. 12 August 2024.
  35. ^ "Tight loss for Lulu Sun against Marta Kostyuk in Cincinnati". Tennis New Zealand. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  36. ^ "Monterrey Open: Sun moves into second round". Tennis Majors. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  37. ^ "Emma Navarro rallies in 3 sets, makes Monterrey quarterfinals". ESPN. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Sun makes sensational comeback in Monterrey". 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  39. ^ "Sun storms past Erika Andreeva into first WTA semifinal". Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  40. ^ "Navarro, Alexandrova, Sun advance to Monterrey semis". 22 August 2024.
  41. ^ "Sun advances to first final; faces Noskova for Monterrey title". 24 August 2024.
  42. ^ "Czech teen Noskova fends off Sun in Monterrey, claims first WTA title". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  43. ^ "US Open: Bronzetti advances to second round after Sun retires a set down". Tennis Majors. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  44. ^ "Sun fights hard in Beijing after a month away". Tennis New Zealand. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  45. ^ "Remarkable 2024 season comes to an end for Lulu Sun". Tennis New Zealand. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  46. ^ "Lulu Sun crowned WTA Newcomer of Year after Wimbledon heroics". 1News. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  47. ^ "New Zealand's Lulu Sun Wins WTA Newcomer of The Year Award". Tennis New Zealand. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
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