LONGHORNS

Texas-ex Lulu Sun defeats Yulia Starodubtseva, advances to third round of Wimbledon

Caleb Yum
Austin American-Statesman

Former Texas women's tennis player Lulu Sun continued her rise up the tennis world by advancing to the third round of Wimbledon with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Yuliia Starodubtseva, the No. 153 player in the world.

Sun got her first win at a major Monday when she pulled off one of the biggest upsets at the tournament, defeating the eighth seed Qinwen Zheng 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Lulu Sun of Switzerland reaches for a backhand return during her opening-round loss to Taylor Townsend in the 2022 Thoreau Tennis Open. On Monday, Sun produced the biggest win of her short pro career; the former Texas standout beat eighth-seeded Qinwen Zheng in the first round at Wimbledon.

It was a much different match for Sun than her first-round win. While she was able to limit her mistakes in the previous win, Sun had to power through Starodubtseva with 43 winners and 40 unforced errors. The former Longhorn went to the net 27 times despite only going 10 times in the first round.

Currently the 123rd-ranked player in the world, Sun's stunning performance is setting her up for a nice rise up the rankings. She will likely join fellow Texas-ex Peyton Stearns in the top 100, with Stearns holding the 52nd ranking after losing in the first round of Wimbledon.

Texas enjoyed one season with Sun, who played an important role in the Longhorns' 2021 national championship. With Texas tied 3-3 in the finals, Sun clinched the title for the Longhorns with a 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 win over Pepperdine’s Taisiya Pachkaleva.