Lulu Sun in action during her third-round match at Wimbledon against Zhu Lin. Photo: Shaun Brooks
New Zealand Tennis sensation Lulu Sun is relishing the chance to play British favourite Emma Raducanu in their fourth round match on Wimbledon's Centre Court.
Sun, who hails from Te Anau in Southland, has caused a major surprise with her progress at Wimbledon, beating China's Zhu Lin early on Saturday in their third round match.
She had announced her arrival at Britain's Grand Slam tournament by ousting world number eight Qinwen Zheng in the first round before beating fellow qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine.
The last New Zealander to make the fourth round of Wimbledon was Dame Ruia Morrison, in 1959.
Asked about the prospect of playing former US Open champion Raducanu, 23-year-old Sun said she would be ''super-happy'' to take on the challenge of playing ''such a great athlete".
"She's obviously been firing in the Grand Slams before and she's Wimbledon's favourite since she is from here.''
Sun will be an obvious underdog in the match on Monday morning (NZ time), but appeared unfazed about that, as well as playing before a Centre Court crowd bound to be enthusiastic in their support of Raducanu.
"I wasn't expecting to be here at this stage, but I've just been playing match-by-match. But yeah, here I am," she said.
Sun explained her background to reporters after the win, saying that she was born in the deep south to a Croatian father and Chinese mother. She then moved to Shanghai, before moving to Switzerland where she began life on the road as an up-and-coming junior tennis player.
Lulu Sun is enjoying each moment as it comes at Wimbledon. Photo: AFP
"I didn't spend too much time there when I started playing more and more juniors," Sun, who now resides in Geneva, said.
Prioritising her education, she then studied in the United States in Austin, Texas, studying political science, before focusing on her tennis career, Reuters reported.
She made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open after qualifying and also came through the Wimbledon qualifiers to book her debut at the grasscourt slam.
There are similarities between Sun and Raducanu even if their tennis careers have taken very different paths.
Raducanu's mum is Chinese, her dad Romanian and she was born in Canada, and the British player has said in the past that the blend has helped her on the court. Likewise Sun.
"Chinese obviously from my mum's side, is very disciplined, hard-working. From my dad's side, Croatian, he's from the seaside, so very laid back and calm," she said.
"I guess that's a good combo. And then Swiss side is, like, neutral, yeah! From New Zealand I get that adventure side."
Sun has been named this week to represent New Zealand in doubles at the Paris Olympic Games, along with Grand Slam winner Erin Routliffe.
- RNZ Sport/Reuters
