Sun keeps shining as Kiwi qualifier causes upset
NEW Zealand rising talent Lulu Sun‘s incredible 2024 season rolled on after causing an upset over Czech teenager Linda Noskova in the Cincinnati Open overnight. The Kiwi left-hander entered the 2024 WTA Tour season ranked 219th in the world, but rose to a career-high 53rd having won 31 of 45 matches so far, and is currently ranked 64th in the world.
Coming up against the 31st ranked Noskova – who has claimed some big scalps this year including world number one Iga Swiatek – Sun was a big underdog. However on the American hardcourt she used her strengths to advantage, producing eight aces and winning 74 per cent of her first serve points.
Furthermore, Sun was able to break twice and put pressure on Noskova throughout the one-hour and 29-minute affair. Though just six points separated the side’s by the ned (76-70 total points), it went the way of the qualifier who stamped her authority in key moments and stormed into the Round of 32 at the WTA 1000 event.
Perhaps the most impressive element was the fact Sun faced a 2-5 deficit in the second set, but reeled off five of the next six games to force a tiebreaker and then get up 7-4 in said tiebreaker. The match lasted a total of one hour and 28 minutes.
Despite losing first round to Marta Kostyuk at the recent Paris Olympics, Sun is coming off a quarter final at Wimbledon where she beat local hope and US Open winner Emma Raducanu, and eighth seed Qinwen Zheng in the Grand Slam.
Now Sun will get a chance to seek vengeance on Kostyuk who she faces in the Round of 32. The 15th seeded Ukrainian defeated Belgian Elise Mertens in a tough three-setter, 6-4 2-6 6-4 across two hours and 18 minutes.
AROUND THE COURTS
Former world number one Elina Svitolina was forced to come from a set down against Chinese qualifier Yafan Wang before winning in two hours and 11 minutes, 5-7 6-3 6-2. She was joined in the Rounf of 32 by a couple of qualifiers in Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva and local hope Ashlyn Krueger, the latter of whom upset Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic.
Magda Linette fought off Brit Katie Boulter in three sets 2-6 6-0 7-5, while Karolina Pliskova, Anastasia Potapova, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Daria Kasatkina were among the other Round of 64 winners on the day.
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