Sun outlasts Alexandrova to reach Monterrey final

Lulu Sun continued to shine as the New Zealander edged third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5 3-6 7-6(6) at the Monterrey Open on Friday to reach her first WTA-level final.

The unseeded Sun, who grabbed the attention of the tennis world in July when she reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon by knocking out Britain's Emma Raducanu, served well and crushed 17 aces to squeak past her Russian opponent.

HERE COMES THE SUN ☀️@LululSun is heading into her first WTA Tour final!#AbiertoGNPSeguro pic.twitter.com/iFrWA5ZZQN

— wta (@WTA) August 24, 2024

The 23-year-old will face either Czech Linda Noskova or American Emma Navarro for the trophy at the WTA 500 event on Saturday.

With Friday's win, Sun will break into the top 50 for the first time after the tournament concludes.