'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAyeYT/8QAHhABAAEEAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgEAAwQFITERMlH/2gAIAQEAAT8A1Gu2mPnXGZxkDDm5beQ0bvakqJPXFHQbVxDt5RthckRkPwY+etf/xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/aAAgBAgEBPwCv/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABH/2gAIAQMBAT8Ar//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
23-year old Lulu Sun from New Zealand is having a dream debut at the 2024 Wimbledon, having reached the fourth round as a qualifier. She became the first woman from her country to reach this stage at the All England Club in the Open Era.
Sun's journey at Wimbledon started off quite well, with a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 win over Miriam Bulgaru in her first qualifying match. Things got a little tricky for her in the next round, but she saved a match point during her three-set win over Gabriela Knutson.
Sun moved past Alex Eala in her final qualifier to book her place in the main draw of a Major for the second time, and the first time at SW19. She rallied from a set down to beat World No. 8 Zheng Qinwen in her opener, her first win over a top-10 player.
Trending
She staged another comeback in the second round, this time ousting fellow qualifier Yulia Starodubtsewa. The 23-year-old followed it up with a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6) win over Zhu Lin to reach the fourth round of a Major for the first time. As her star continues to shine bright in London, here's all you need to know about the tournament's breakthrough player:
Who is Lulu Sun?
Sun was born in New Zealand on April 14, 2001, to a Chinese mother and a Croatian father. After spending some brief time in Shanghai, China, she moved to Switzerland at the age of five with her mother and stepfather, who is from Devon, England.
Sun's most notable result as a junior came at the 2018 Australian Open, where she finished as the runner-up in girls' doubles. She attended the University of Texas at Austin, and played for the women's tennis team until she graduated in 2022 with a BA in political science. She was a part of the winning team that clinched the 2021 NCAA Division I title.
Sun won her first ITF title in May 2022, and made her WTA Tour debut at the Morocco Open as a wildcard the following week, losing to Arantxa Rus in her opener. She mainly competed on the ITF circuit until this year.
Sun qualified for the Australian Open but lost in the opening round on her Major debut. She received a wildcard to compete in the Dubai Tennis Championships and recorded her first win at the level after Paula Badosa's mid-match retirement.
After representing Switzerland for so many years, Sun switched nationalities to represent the country of her birth, New Zealand, in April this year. After winning an ITF title in Florida in June, she reached a career-high ranking of No. 123. Thanks to her run at Wimbledon, she's set to crack the top 80 of the WTA rankings at the very least.
Lulu Sun will take on Emma Raducanu for a spot in the quarterfinals
Lulu Sun will face her biggest test at Wimbledon thus far as she will lock horns with the in-form Emma Raducanu in the fourth round on Sunday (July 7). The latter beat Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 in the third round and is yet to drop a set so far.
Raducanu won the 2021 US Open as a qualifier, and now Sun is halfway there as well. The New Zealander has a tough task on her hands, but if she continues to play like this, there's a chance of her pulling off yet another upset.
