Emma Răducanu, the Briton of Romanian origin, had a good Wimbledon, reaching the round of 16 after a long period in which she was plagued by injuries. But after the defeat against Lulu Sun, the spotlight shifted from to the New Zealander who became the biggest surprise of the London tournament.
Emma Răducanu left Wimbledon proud. Facebook photo
The athlete from Oceania, ranked 250 in the world, came from the qualifications and reached the quarterfinals, after beating Emma Răducanu 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. Until now, she had not won a match at a Grand Slam and had only four appearances on the WTA circuit since the beginning of her career. After the match, the 23-year-old player could not hold back her tears and could only say a few words:
“I really don’t have the words right now,”
Lulu Sun said in front of the assistance.
Lulu Sun, Chinese mother and Croatian father
Born in New Zealand to a Chinese mother and Korean father, Lulu Sun was raised in Switzerland from the age of 5, representing the “Land of the Cantons” until this spring. As a teenager, he moved to the US, where he graduated from the University of Texas in 2022 with a degree in political science, writes Eurosport.
Lulu Sun, sensation from Wimbledon 2024. Facebook photo
The New Zealander exceeded all expectations and became only the 7th player of the Open Era to make the quarters at Wimbledon, after starting from the qualifications. Kanepi, 14 years ago, was the last player to achieve such a performance. The 23-year-old also became the second-lowest ranked player in the last 15 years to reach the last 8 at the All England Club, after Serena Williams, who was ranked 181 in the world at the 2018 edition.
He won at Wimbledon more than in his entire career
Lulu played 1195 points at Wimbledon 2024, if we also consider the qualifying matches. She hit 243 winners, which means that one out of every five points played ended with a straight winning shot from her side. A fabulous rate, to which even Sabalenka, Rybakina or Ostapenko, the tennis players who achieve the most winners in the circuit, do not have access.
Thanks to the quarter at Wimbledon, Sun is guaranteed the 53rd WTA position at the end of the tournament, the best of her career. Thanks to the performance at the All England Club, Lulu Sun will come into possession of a check of at least 375,000 pounds, more than she has earned so far in her entire career. For a place in the ace box at Wimbledon, Lulu Sun will face Donna Vekic, who got past Paula Badosa in 3 sets, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4, in a match that was interrupted 3 times by rain.
