Lulu Sun, who clinched Texas’ 2021 NCAA championship over Pepperdine, has secured her spot in the women’s singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon. On Sunday, Sun achieved a hard-fought 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory against 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu. This triumph, in her inaugural appearance on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, earned Sun $480,000, more than doubling her career earnings.
Following her win, Sun expressed her respect for opposing player Raducanu. “Emma, it was a great match with her,” an emotional Sun told reporters. “She really dug deep to try and get the win from me. I had to fight tooth and nail against her. I don’t even have the words right now.”
At 23 years old, Sun’s journey to Wimbledon has been remarkable. Born in the small town of Te Anau, South Zealand — known more for its sheep and deer than its people — her family relocated to Switzerland when she was five and later to Shanghai, China. Today, the 2022 Texas graduate divides her time living in Florida and Slovakia.
Sun, who grew up watching Roger Federer’s Wimbledon matches and YouTube replays of Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf’s historic battles, amassed an impressive 51 winners in her match against Raducanu. She is set to face Donna Vekic in the next round.