Lulu Sun won the biggest title of her career – and first on clay – on the ITF World Tennis Tour on Sunday as she continued to make positive strides on court since switching allegiance from Switzerland to New Zealand.

Sun, 23, defeated 18-year-old Australian Maya Joint 6-1 6-3 in the final at W100 Bonita Springs for her second title of 2024, following on from her triumph on British hard courts at W50 Roehampton in mid-February.

She capped her impressive week by partnering with Fanni Stollar to win her first W100 doubles crown.

Sun, who was born in New Zealand but moved to Switzerland at the age of five, played under the Swiss flag as a junior, but made the switch back to her country of birth in the early part of the 2024 season. 

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The world No. 132 is now New Zealand's No. 1-ranked player as a result, and, in a statement in March, described the switch as a landmark moment in her career.

“Representing New Zealand is more than a professional choice; it is a tribute to my roots, a celebration of my origin, and a commitment to the country that has always been a fundamental part of who I am and who I want to become," she said.

Sun represented New Zealand in Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in Asia/Oceania Group I in April and the move could bring extra gravitas in an Olympic year.

Sun could partner New Zealand's doubles world No. 6 Erin Routliffe at the Olympic Tennis Event, given top 10 doubles players get automatic entry if they can pair up with a player from their nation ranked inside the world's Top 300.

Sun would need to appeal to play at Paris 2024 alongside Routliffe, having not contested the required amount of Billie Jean King Cup ties for eligibility - largely due to having higher-ranked players ahead of her in the pecking order while representing Switzerland.

Elsewhere, Julia Riera and Moyuka Uchijima also won W100 tournaments this weekend, Riera solidifying her newfound spot in the world's top 100 after defeating Jule Niemeier 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final at W100 Wiesbaden and Uchijima beating Arina Rodionova 6-3 6-3 in the title match at W100 Gifu. 

Click here to view all the latest winners on the ITF World Tennis Tour