Tears of joy as qualifier Lulu Sun defeats Raducanu to make Wimbledon quarter-finals
Lulu Sun from New Zealand moved on to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon after defeating wildcard Emma Raducanu with a score of 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 at the prestigious All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.
"I cannot express my emotions at this moment," said Sun as she stood on the court after winning, tears streaming down her face. Her family also cried tears of happiness in the audience.
She is the first woman who had to qualify to reach the quarter-finals since Kaia Kanepi did it in 2010.
"I really had to put up a fierce battle against her, because it's clear that she's willing to chase after every ball and fight until the very end."
Sun displayed impressive poise during her first match on Centre Court, despite the overwhelming support for her British competitor from the spectators.
Sun Dominating Wimbledon
The sun has triumphed in seven consecutive matches at Wimbledon, typically resulting in a trophy being raised at this point.
The Kiwi successfully made it through the qualifying rounds, facing three challenging matches before starting her main draw journey in London.
The most recent female player to start in the preliminary rounds and then go on to win a major championship was the player facing off against her opponent in the final match on Sunday night: Raducanu, who achieved this feat at the 2021 US Open.
The hopes of British fans seeing their player advance to the quarter-finals were dashed as Sun displayed a calm and forceful style of play.
The young woman from New Zealand hit 52 impressive shots during the long match that lasted almost three hours, while Raducanu only managed 19. Despite making 44 mistakes, Sun controlled the game and played by her own rules.
Sun's strong forehand and backhand shots caused problems for Raducanu during the match. Sun aggressively approached the net more often than her opponent, successfully executing 82 percent of her 28 attempts compared to Raducanu's three successful out of seven approaches.
Sun gave credit to Roger Federer for inspiring her to improve her net game during her debut match on Centre Court at Wimbledon.
"As I strolled towards Centre Court, I couldn't help but think, 'This is incredible, I've never experienced anything like this before!' It was my first time there, and I was completely amazed, just soaking it all in," Sun exclaimed.
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play on this court. It is an incredible experience for me.
Sun, who is currently in the 123rd position, is set to compete against Croatian player Donna Vekic in the upcoming match. A win in this match will secure a place in the semi-finals of Wimbledon.
In the earlier matches of The Championships, the player from New Zealand beat No 8 seed Qinwen Zheng from China (4-6, 6-2, 6-4), qualifier Yulia Starodubtseva from Ukraine (4-6, 6-3, 6-2), and Lin Zhu from China (7-6 (4), 7-6 (6)).
Raducanu, who is ranked 135th, emerged victorious in matches against Mexican player Renata Zarazua (7-6, 6-3), Belgian opponent Elise Mertens (6-1, 6-2), and Greek player Maria Sakkari, who is seeded ninth (6-2, 6-3) in previous rounds of the tournament.
At the prestigious Grand Slam tournament in London, the most recent results from the last 16 matches at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on the grass courts with a prize purse of GBP 50 million are as follows:
