Kiwi tennis star Lulu Sun’s incredible Wimbledon journey ended in the quarterfinals. Croatia’s Donna Vekić defeated Sun 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 on Court One in London early this morning.
The 23-year-old made history by beating Britain’s Emma Raducanu in the fourth round, becoming the first New Zealand woman to reach the singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
If she had won today, Sun would have been the first qualifier to reach the women’s singles semifinals at Wimbledon since 1999. Despite a strong start, her 28-year-old Croatian opponent came back to win the match.
“It was a tough match, Donna played really well,” Sun said. “She played better today and she deserved the win. I’ve learned a lot throughout these matches and can use this experience in future tournaments.”
Vekić praised Sun, saying, “It was a really tough match. [Sun] played unbelievably. She really pushed me to my limits.”
Tennis New Zealand expressed pride in Sun’s performance. “The 23-year-old’s incredible run of seven wins at this year’s Championship, including three in qualifying, has been an inspiration to tennis fans back in New Zealand,” the organization said.
“Despite this loss, it has been a life-changing two weeks for Sun, who has earned enough ranking points to play fully on the WTA Tour.”
