Making history on Saturday after making it past Round 16 of the Wimbledon tournament, Texas Ex Lulu Sun has done it again.
The New Zealander defeated the 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu on Sunday, going 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 and becoming the first player in Texas women’s tennis history to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam.
While spectators called Sun the underdog of the match, entering Raducanu’s home court, she gave a hard-fought battle that was able to knock out Great Britain’s last representative in the tournament. Raducanu will now be missing the quarterfinals for the first time in her career.
Following the spectacular performance, Sun tried to hold back tears as she stepped up to the microphone, her coaches and family smiling from the stands.
“I don’t even have the words right now,” Sun said. “I’m just super happy, and to be able to play on this court in front of all of you, it’s just such an amazing experience.”
This comes as Sun’s second win in a major tournament, powering over Qinwen Zheng last week, and her first Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Confidence and poise carried Sun over one of, if not the most, toughest hurdles in her career, despite Raducanu slipping on the baseline during the third set of the match that caused her to lay down on the court to recover, alongside rumors of an injured back.
However, Sun gave credit where it was due, saying that Raducanu wasn’t an easy opponent in the slightest.
“It was a great match against her, and she really dug deep in there to get the win from me,” Sun said. “I really had to fight tooth and nail against her cause she’s obviously going to run for every ball and fight until the end.”
Sun will now face the 37th-ranked player in the world, Croatia’s Donna Vekic, as she looks to make her way to the semi-finals.
