Tennis: Lulu Sun comes up short of first WTA title at Monterrey Open

Lulu Sun in action during the 2024 ASB Classic. Photo / Photosport

By RNZ

Lulu Sun has missed out on her chance of a first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title, losing to Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic in the final of the Monterrey Open in Mexico.

The unseeded Sun, who grabbed the attention of the tennis world in July when she reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, was beaten in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4, to give sixth seed Noskova her first WTA title.

Sun played dazzling tennis throughout the tournament and that was the case again in the final, but her inability to convert break points proved ultimately costly.

Sun, who hails from Te Anau in Southland, started nervously, losing her first service game, but fought back soon after to break Noskova’s serve and the players exchanged games in a tight first set.

It went to a tiebreaker and at one stage Sun was two set points up, but couldn’t ram home her advantage and Noskova came back to take the set 7-6.

It was the break points that were damaging Sun, succeeding with just one of six opportunities in the set.

Noskova broke Sun’s service early in the second set, and from there the Czech played the steadier tennis, despite some sizzling aces and ground strokes from Sun.

Ranked 57th before the tournament in the WTA rankings, Sun will receive a further boost from making the final in Mexico and is expected to climb into the world’s top 50.

She beat third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semifinals.