Lulu Sun was a big drawcard in Auckland last year. The following week in Suzhou she eliminated the top seed Iva Jovic in the first round, before reaching the last four in Jinan. Arguably the highlight came in Guangzhou, where she won six matches as qualifier to reach the final, before she was stopped by second seed Ann Li. That run included victories over then world No 40 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and a three-set battle over American Caty McNally. Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 01, 2026 19:57 UTC