Lulu Sun pushes Jasmine Paolini in loss at Italian Open

Lulu Sun forced fifth seed Jasmine Paolini to dig deep in a 6-4, 6-3 second-round win over New Zealand’s No 1 at the Italian Open on Thursday.

Playing on the prestigious Campo Centrale at the Foro Italico in Rome, Sun showed no signs of nerves despite the overwhelmingly pro-Paolini crowd.

Sun fired four aces in the opening set, which saw multiple breaks of serve from both players—Paolini securing the decisive edge with one extra break.

The second set was tighter, with just one break of serve. Paolini earned seven break points, but Sun defended all but one of them in a strong display of resilience.

By reaching the second round for the third consecutive tournament, Sun continues her steady rise up the WTA rankings. Depending on other results, she could break into the world’s top 45 when the next rankings are released.

Meanwhile, the women’s doubles draw has been announced. Top seeds Erin Routliffe and Gaby Dabrowski will face Monica Niculescu from Romania and Poland’s Katarzyna Piter in the opening round.

The men’s doubles draw is yet to be held.