Lulu Sun Faces Qualifier in Australian Open First Round

Lulu Sun will begin her Australian Open campaign against Czech qualifier Linda Fruhvirtova at Melbourne Park on Sunday afternoon.

Sun, 24, secured her spot in the main draw after a strong finish to the end of 2025 which saw her ranking climb from 146 in the world to her current 85. Her end of year success included making the finals at the WTA Guangzhou Open in October, a tremendous run in which she qualified and then beat four higher ranked players. It followed her being crowned champion the previous month at the WTA 125 tournament in Jingshan, China, the biggest title of her career, which included a win against rising WTA star Alexandra Eala in the semifinals.

As with the Australian Open last year Sun comes into the tournament after recovering from an injury, this year to her wrist which forced her to pull out of last week’s ASB Classic in Auckland.

Sun’s first round opponent Linda Fruhvirtova, 20, has had a tough path to the tournament’s main draw having won her three qualifying rounds in tight three-set battles. Fruhvirtova is well known to New Zealanders having appeared in Auckland after storming onto the women’s tour as a teenage sensation with her sister Brenda. Currently with a world ranking of 132, Fruhvirtova, is a prodigy of the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France.

Sun’s quarter of the draw includes seeded players Iga Swiatek 2, Elena Rybakina 5, Belinda Bencic 10, Naomi Osaka 16, Liudmila Samsonova 18, Elise Mertens 21, Maya Joint 30 and Anna Kalinskaya 31. Should Sun win her first round, Australia’s Maya Joint, who plays Czech teenager Tereza Valentova in the first round, looms as a potential second round opponent.

Sun, a left-hander with a strong all-court game in which she mixes variety with her natural aggression, has competed in the Australian Open Draw twice, in 2025 as a New Zealander and in 2024 as a Swiss National. Her breakthrough in New Zealand colours was making the quarter finals of Wimbledon in 2024 which saw her ranking soar to a career high 39.

New Zealand’s other hope for championship honours Erin Routliffe, returns to Melbourne with a new long-term partner, Asia Muhammad of the United States. Routliffe made the championship mixed doubles semifinals last year with Michael Venus and the women’s doubles semifinals with her partner of two and a half years, Gaby Dabrowski (Canada). Routliffe and Dabrowski announced their split at the end of 2025 after a stellar career in which they won seven titles including two US Open crowns (2023, 2025) and the WTA Finals title in 2024.

Routliffe’s new partnership is very much in its infancy although they tested it in Auckland last week where they lost in the first round after a 12-10 third set super tiebreak. They also played in Adelaide this week, winning their first round in straight sets before losing in three sets in the quarter finals.

Routliffe says they trained together in the off-season in Canada and know each other well having teamed up in 2024 while Dabrowski was away from the tour dealing with health issues, to win the Cincinnati Open, a WTA 1000 event.

“She was looking for a partner, I was too and we went from there,” she says.

Routliffe says while they are still refining playing together, it is going well. “She is very crafty at the net, has a big serve and we are both tall so can crowd the net. With our returning games we set up each other well.”

She is excited to be playing in Melbourne which she says “totally feels like my home slam. It is a very special place and I love the atmosphere. It is the start of the year and everyone is fresh. Both here and at Wimbledon there are always a lot of Kiwis in the crowd, so the support is great.”

Although the draws for the Australian Open doubles have not yet been released, Routliffe and Muhammad with a current world ranking of 8, are likely to be seeded. Routliffe is also playing in the mixed doubles with Swedish player Andre Goransson. “We haven’t played together before but he is married to my best friend so it was easy to arrange,” she says.

For the Kiwi doubles’ duo of James Watt and Finn Reynolds, it’s a case of keeping their fingers crossed for a start in Melbourne. Their current doubles ranking at 87 puts them on the cusp of entry to the Grand Slam. They have not yet heard if they have made the main draw and after completing their ASB Classic commitments this week are travelling across the Tasman on Saturday night regardless. For both playing in a Grand Slam in front of a crowd likely to include many kiwis would be a childhood dream come true.

Michael Venus, who also made the US Open doubles semi-finals last year with partner Yuki Brambri, will not play in this year’s Australian Open as he is recovering from surgery on his arm. However, he is keeping busy and viewers are loving the knowledge he is bringing as a commentator to the Sky team at the ASB Classic.

Written by Diane Keenan