New Zealand tennis player Lulu Sun has been honoured by the WTA as the Newcomer of the Year in 2024.
She proved to be the breakout star of 2024, having been ranked outside the Top 200 in January before soaring to No.40 by the year's end with a peak of 39.
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The 23-year-old from Te Anau kicked off her incredible campaign by making her Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open before enjoying more success at the majors with her first top 10 win over No 8 Zheng Qinwen.
The victory against Qinwen was part of a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon as a qualifier making history as the first New Zealand woman to reach that stage.
Left-handed Sun rounded out her season by reaching her first Tour final in Monterrey at the WTA 500 before injury took its toll at the US Open and cancelled the remainder of her years play.
Other top results in 2024 saw her make the second round in Auckland as a qualifier and win two ITF singles titles as well.
Sun will be seeded at the ASB Classic to start the year.