Former New Zealand No. 1 Marina Erakovic believes Lulu Sun can rediscover her in New York, pushing her to last year’s Wimbledon quarterfinals.
The 24-year-old Sun will face Colombia's Camila Osorio in the first round on Sunday (New Zealand Monday time).
Although Osorio ranked 57th in the world and owned her name, she never surpassed the second round of the senior women’s draw.
For Sun, the challenge is opening the page in a tough time since the breakthrough match in 2024 at Wimbledon. The performance took her up the rankings and made it to the radar of the tennis world, but she has been working hard to build it this season and has been declining since.
Erakovic has a career-high ranking of 39 and retired in 2018.
“It’s tough, especially when you get a breakthrough result, like she’s at Wimbledon,” Elakovic said.
“You’ve gone from being a weak and playing freely, and now you’re protecting something. You’re trying to protect these views and everyone knows who they are.
“Everyone is watching your game, so you have a goal on your back, which is mentally challenging.
“I think she might have gone through something. Now she is one of her favorites and she needs to perform every time, which can be tough.
“But now that she's already behind her Wimbledon, I think she'll be free to play a little again. She knows what's going to happen, she knows these girls, so I'm looking forward to something great for her.”
Sun recently showed the best signs of returning to her recently. At Wimbledon, she beat Daria Kasatkina before Eastbourne and won a 7-6 7-6 vs. Gate this week in Monterrey against Linda Noskova.
Sun's full game attracted the entire tour, and Erakovic said her diversity and natural aggression remained a solid foundation.
“She has a very good style. She is left-handed, has good movements, can come in, and has diversity on most surfaces,” Erakovic said. “I won't be an expert in any of the courts.
“In terms of improvement, she can still get better in the whole situation – presumably her serve, her move, making the right choice in some cases in court.
“But I really like how she plays, and I think there's a chance that her game will be in the top 20.”
The Suns' first round rival Osorio is a gritty baseline and has been in a steady state this year. If the sun goes forward, she will likely meet Belgium's Elise Mertens, the No. 30 seed in the second round.
However, Erakovic is convinced that the Suns' aggressiveness will serve her on the hard court in the Flushing Meadows.
“She has a game to come back,” Elakovic said. “It's almost about experience and putting herself in those situations again. She's already made a breakthrough and now she knows what it takes. It's just a matter of time again blending in.”