“Kiwi” Lulu Sun Reaches First WTA Final

“Kiwi” Lulu Sun Reaches First WTA Final

At the Guangzhou Open (WTA 250), New Zealand’s Lulu Sun made a notable breakthrough by reaching her first WTA Tour final. The 23-year-old left-hander, who was born in the United States and represented Switzerland earlier in her career, now competes for New Zealand.

Sun came through the qualifying rounds and won five straight matches to reach the final—an impressive achievement at any stage, but especially meaningful at 250 level.

Her game is built on aggressive shot-making and effective net coverage, traits that stood out throughout the week. Comfortable moving forward, she frequently disrupted her opponents’ rhythm with early ball-striking and sharp volleys.

A former standout in the U.S. collegiate system, Sun played for the University of Texas and later the University of Miami.

She turned pro in recent years and has steadily climbed the rankings through ITF-level events. Her performance in Guangzhouincluded wins over several higher-ranked players.

In the final, Sun lost to Ann Li, who captured her first WTA title since 2021 with a composed 7-6(6), 6-2 victory. Li, 23, showed clear poise in the tiebreak and handled Sun’s pressure with clean, consistent groundstrokes.