Lulu Sun is set to miss the women’s 2026 ASB Classic.
The New Zealander, who is considered one of the biggest drawcards for the event, won’t be taking the court this week in Auckland. The Herald understands that she has not fully recovered from a lingering injury in time and isn’t ready to take on the rigours of the WTA event, which starts on Monday, with qualifying over the weekend.
Sun was poised to make her third appearance here, after reaching the second round as a qualifier, then being bumped out at the first hurdle as fourth seed. Her withdrawal is a double blow.
For the tournament it’s the loss of a local name, someone who adds greatly to the media and fan interest and provides inspiration for everyone involved in the sport. For the player, it’s an untimely setback.
The 24-year-old was keen to make amends for last year – when her presence created a buzz before the anticlimactic opening-round exit at the hands of unpredictable Canadian Rebecca Marino.
Sun, who captivated the nation with her run to the last eight at Wimbledon in 2024, has enjoyed playing at Stanley St and would have been in a positive frame of mind, after ending a difficult 2025 season on a high during the Asian swing, with four eye-catching weeks in China, which saw her ranking improve almost 50 places.
In late September she took out the WTA 125 Jingshan Open, which included a win over highly rated Filipino Alexandra Eala (then world No 58) in the semi-finals. The following week in Suzhou she eliminated the top seed Iva Jovic in the first round, before reaching the last four in Jinan.
Arguably the highlight came in Guangzhou, where she won six matches as qualifier to reach the final, before she was stopped by second seed Ann Li. That run included victories over then world No 40 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and a three-set battle over American Caty McNally.
That period put a different sheen on what had been a challenging year, with the failure to defend the swag of points gained at Wimbledon (quarter-finalist) and Monterrey (final) the previous year, along with first-round exits in Melbourne and Roland Garros. There were moments, like reaching the third round at Indian Wells, defeating former World No 4 Caroline Garcia in Dubai and beating top seed Daria Kasatkina in Eastbourne but not enough until everything turned in China.
That took her back inside the top 100 – after she had started the year at No 40 – before it had blown out to 164 before the US Open. Sun never stopped working – or believing – and was eventually rewarded.
By mid-June she had only won seven of 25 matches but they turned to a 28/26 win-loss record by the end of the season. But Sun hasn’t played since Guangzhou, missing several WTA events along with the Billie Jean King Cup playoff tie in Poland, after having been so instrumental in New Zealand reaching that stage for the first time in decades.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.