Donna Vekic eclipses Lulu Sun to reach first Wimbledon semi-final

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Donna Vekic stopped the impressive Wimbledon journey of qualifier Lulu Sun to advance to her first ever grand slam semi-final.

Sun, the standout player at the SW19 tournament, took the lead in the opening set and appeared to be on track to become the second female player to advance to the semifinals after qualifying for the tournament.

However, Vekic, the 28-year-old player from Croatia, won the second set by a small margin and then dominated the third set to secure a 5-7 6-4 6-1 win.

"It was a very challenging game, she played incredibly well. I believe she really pushed me to my maximum," expressed a visibly moved Vekic.

I felt like I was struggling in the first two sets, but I persevered, hoping for an opportunity, which finally arrived in the end.

I have a strong support system and I owe my success to them.

The sun has really brought some excitement to this year's Championship with her brave playing, and her fitting last name adds to the drama that has been lacking in this rainy tournament.

Once more, the roof was shut on Court One as the 23-year-old from New Zealand faced early challenges. She managed to save three break points in a long, 10-deuce fourth game.

After overcoming that challenge, Sun started to aggressively return Vekic's serves. This strategy paid off when she broke Vekic's serve to take a 6-5 lead before securing the set with a determined hold.

Sun appeared to be the more confident player, but Vekic regained her composure in the second set and managed to break Sun's serve in the eighth game.

However, the tension was still evident, and three double faults at deuce resulted in Sun having three opportunities to break serve.

Vekic successfully defended against two points, but then made a poor decision by attempting a drop shot, which resulted in her losing the game to Sun.

However, when a crucial point came in the following game with the Sun serving, the drop shot was effective and the score was tied.

Sun was on her eighth match of the two-week period, and it was clear at the beginning of the third set that Vekic was dominating, winning 12 consecutive points.

Suddenly, the score was 5-0, and even though Sun managed to score, they ultimately lost at Wimbledon after two hours and eight minutes.