Lulu Sun
Country (sports) | Switzerland (– Apr 2024) New Zealand (Apr 2024 –)[1][2] |
---|---|
Residence | Geneva, Switzerland |
Born | (2001-04-14) 14 April 2001 (age 23) Te Anau, New Zealand |
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
Turned pro | 2022[citation needed] |
Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) |
College | Texas |
Prize money | US$ 280,515 |
Singles | |
Career record | 220–121 (64.5%) |
Career titles | 7 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 128 (20 May 2024) |
Current ranking | No. 128 (20 May 2024) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | 1R (2024) |
French Open | Q2 (2024) |
Wimbledon | Q3 (2022) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 66–47 (58.4%) |
Career titles | 4 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 219 (6 May 2024) |
Current ranking | No. 222 (20 May 2024) |
Last updated on: 26 May 2024. |
Lulu Sun (formerly known as Lulu Radovcic; born 14 April 2001) is a Swiss tennis player, currently playing for New Zealand. She has a career-high singles ranking by the WTA of 128, achieved on 20 May 2024, and a best doubles ranking of world No. 219, reached on 6 May 2024.
Career
Juniors
Sun represented Switzerland as a junior, finishing runner-up with Violet Apisah in the 2018 Australian Open girls' doubles, but 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.[3]
2022: Professional and WTA Tour debuts
Before turning pro in 2022, Sun played college tennis at the University of Texas at Austin.[4] In 2021, she competed in the NCAA DI women’s tennis championship for UT Austin, clinching the match and winning the third ever NCAA championship.[citation needed]
She won her first big ITF title at the Saint-Gaudens Open, partnering Fernanda Contreras in doubles.[5]
She made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the Morocco Open just two days later, where she received a wildcard into the singles draw.[6]
2024: Major, Masters debuts and first win
Sun made her major debut at the 2024 Australian Open.[7][8] On her WTA 1000 debut, she recorded her first win at the WTA 1000 level at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships as a wildcard following the retirement of Paula Badosa. As a result, she moved to a new career-high singles ranking of No. 151, on 26 February 2024.
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.[9][1]
In May, Sun won the singles and doubles titles at the W100 Bonita Springs tournament in Florida.[10]
Personal life
Sun was born in New Zealand as Lulu Radovcic, then moved to Florida with her family at the age of five. They then moved to Switzerland, where she took her mother's maiden surname when her parents divorced. She attended college in the United States at the University of Texas in Austin, graduating in 2022 with a BA in Political Science.[citation needed]
She has an older sister Phenomena Radovcic (born in 1998) who played in professional tournaments until 2016.[11]
Grand Slam performance timelines
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Singles
Tournament | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | SR | W–L | Win% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | 1R | 0 / 0 | 0–1 | 0% |
French Open | A | A | Q2 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
Wimbledon | Q3 | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
US Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0 / 0 | 0–1 | 0% |
ITF Circuit finals
Singles: 12 (7 titles, 5 runners-up)
|
|
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | Oct 2017 | ITF Nonthaburi, Thailand | W15 | Hard | Choi Ji-hee | 2–6, 3–6 |
Win | 1–1 | Feb 2019 | ITF Port Pirie, Australia | W15 | Hard | Jennifer Elie | 6–2, 6–3 |
Win | 2–1 | Feb 2019 | ITF Perth, Australia | W15 | Hard | Jennifer Elie | 7–6(1), 6–3 |
Loss | 2–2 | Nov 2020 | ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt | W15 | Hard | Joanna Garland | 5–7, 3–6 |
Win | 3–2 | Dec 2020 | ITF Monastir, Tunisia | W15 | Hard | Carole Monnet | 6–0, 2–6, 6–2 |
Loss | 3–3 | Jun 2021 | ITF Palma del Río, Spain | W25 | Hard | Rebeka Masarova | 3–6, 6–1, 6–7(4) |
Win | 4–3 | Jul 2021 | ITF Lisbon, Portugal | W25 | Hard | Ellen Perez | 6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 4–4 | Jan 2023 | ITF Boca Raton, United States | W25 | Clay | Renata Zarazúa | 2–6, 5–7 |
Win | 5–4 | Aug 2023 | Aberto da República, Brazil | W80 | Hard | Léolia Jeanjean | 6–4, 4–6, 6–2 |
Loss | 5–5 | Oct 2023 | Rancho Santa Fe Open, United States | W60 | Hard | Yuliia Starodubtseva | 5–7, 3–6 |
Win | 6–5 | Feb 2024 | ITF Roehampton, United Kingdom | W50 | Hard (i) | Heather Watson | 7–5, 7–5 |
Win | 7–5 | May 2024 | Bonita Springs Championship, United States | W100 | Clay | Maya Joint | 6–1, 6–3 |
Doubles: 10 (4 titles, 6 runners–up)
|
|
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | Jan 2019 | Playford International, Australia | W25 | Hard | Amber Marshall | Giulia Gatto-Monticone Anastasia Grymalska | 2–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 0–2 | Nov 2020 | ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt | W15 | Hard | Valentina Ryser | Ksenia Laskutova Daria Mishina | 6–7(3), 7–6(2), [10–12] |
Loss | 0–3 | Nov 2020 | ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt | W15 | Hard | Valentina Ryser | Elina Avanesyan Iryna Shymanovich | 4–6, 1–6 |
Loss | 0–4 | Jun 2021 | ITF Palma del Río, Spain | W25 | Clay | Himari Sato | Eri Hozumi Valeria Savinykh | 6–7(6), 3–6 |
Win | 1–4 | May 2022 | Open Saint-Gaudens, France | W60 | Clay | Fernanda Contreras Gómez | Valentini Grammatikopoulou Anastasia Tikhonova | 7–5, 6–2 |
Win | 2–4 | Feb 2023 | Georgia's Rome Open, United States | W60 | Hard (i) | Fanny Stollár | Mana Ayukawa Gabriela Knutson | 6–3, 6–0 |
Loss | 2–5 | Jul 2023 | ITF Corroios, Portugal | W25 | Hard | Sofia Costoulas | Talia Gibson Petra Hule | 3–6, 6–3, [6–10] |
Win | 3–5 | Feb 2024 | Trnava Indoor, Slovakia | W50 | Hard (i) | Moyuka Uchijima | Weronika Falkowska Fanny Stollár | 6–4, 7–6(3) |
Loss | 3–6 | Mar 2024 | Říčany Open, Czech Republic | W75 | Hard (i) | Fanny Stollár | Gabriela Knutson Tereza Valentová | 4–6, 6–3, [4–10] |
Win | 4–6 | May 2024 | Bonita Springs Championship, United States | W100 | Clay | Fanny Stollár | Valentini Grammatikopoulou Valeriya Strakhova | 6–4, 7–6(3) |
Junior Grand Slam finals
Doubles: 1 (runner-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 2018 | Australian Open | Hard | Violet Apisah | Liang En-shuo Wang Xinyu | 6–7(4–7), 6–4, [5–10] |
References
- ^ a b "ASB Classic star Lulu Sun confirms switch from Switzerland to New Zealand". 14 March 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Lulu Sun's announcement on her Instagram".
- ^ "Teen tennis prospect Lulu Sun sends signal on sticking with New Zealand". www.stuff.co.nz. 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Lulu Sun - Women's Tennis". University of Texas Athletics.
- ^ "Lulu Sun | Player Stats & More – WTA Official". Women's Tennis Association.
- ^ "Welcome to the tour: All of 2022's WTA debutantes". WTA Tennis. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "Aussie Open 2024's Slam debuts: Korneeva, Seidel, Starodubtseva and more".
- ^ "What next for Lulu Sun and Tennis New Zealand?".
- ^ "The inside story of Lulu Sun's switch to New Zealand".
- ^ "Sun shines in Florida with biggest title yet at W100 Bonita Springs". 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Phenomena Radovcic Overview". Women's Tennis Association - Official Website.
External links
- Lulu Sun at the Women's Tennis Association
- Lulu Sun at the International Tennis Federation
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