Lulu Sun Shines Bright at Monterrey Open

Lulu Sun of New Zealand defeated third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach her first WTA-level final at the Monterrey Open. Sun, who garnered attention by reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals, served 17 aces. She will face either Linda Noskova or Emma Navarro next.

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 tennis world's attention in July by reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals, served well and crushed 17 aces to narrowly defeat her Russian opponent. 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 once the tournament concludes.

(With inputs from agencies.)