Sun makes sensational comeback in Monterrey

Lulu Sun has pulled off a stunning fightback to make it through to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament in Monterrey, Mexico.

Playing against Maria Lourdes Carle from Argentina in her second-round match on Wednesday (Thursday NZ time), Sun won 6-3 2-6 7-6(2), but was down 4-2 in the third set and it was starting to look like she’d soon be making plans for her flight to New York for next week’s US Open.

However, Sun got the break back in that seventh game and then held her nerve to take the deciding set into a super tiebreak. Once in it, Sun went on another charge to win it convincingly.

Sun’s week in Mexico has been great preparation for the final grand slam of 2024, while this win will move her closer to cracking into the world’s top 50 when the rankings are next updated.

By getting to the quarterfinals, Sun has reached another benchmark in her career, as this is the first time she’s ever reached the last eight at a WTA tournament.

In the quarterfinals, Sun will play against world No 89 Erika Andreeva from Russia. In her second-round match, Andreeva accounted for the tournament’s top seed Danielle Collins, winning 1-6 6-3 6-3.

Meanwhile, Michael Venus and Neal Skupski lost a tight first-round match in Winston-Salem, going down 4-6 6-3 10-7 to Nicolas Barrientos and Skander Mansouri.