Guangzhou Open Final Round-Up | Ann Li wins second career title, battles past Lulu Sun

Ann Li is a champion again on the WTA Tour after previously losing two finals earlier this year, she has managed to add another to the collection defeating Lulu Sun in the final of the Guangzhou Open on Sunday.

Li had lost in the final of the Singapore Open in February to Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-4 and then to Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-4 also in a mirroring scoreline in Cleveland (Tennis in the Land) back in August. But she also reached a final just a year ago when the Merida Open Akron was played in October and she lost there pretty easily too against Zeynep Sonmez 6-2, 6-1.

So it would be fair to say if she had any scar tissue going into facing Lulu Sun that it would be a fair assumption given she had not had an opportunity prior to that since 2021 when she won a title and technically shared one with Anett Kontaveit.

Back then she played the Grampians Trophy final which was cancelled so in reality she could be a WTA 500 champion right now. But she won one later in that year as she saw off Camila Osorio at the Tenerife Ladies Open 6-1, 6-4.

So it has been four years and some near misses in the making. She will make her debut at World No.33 next week as a result of winning this title. While Lulu Sun who was previously ranked as high as World No.39 after her Wimbledon heroics previously despite losing is back on track and is back into the top 100 sitting in World No.87.

Break point wise, they combined for 0/10 in the opening set so the chances were there on either side of the court but in reality, neither could put them away until the tie-break when Li managed to edge through it and it went on to breaks aplenty in the second. Sun lost her serve to start the second and again in the third to go 3-0 down. She managed to get one of the breaks back but was then broken immediately as it seemed the close shave that Li had in the previous service game spurred her on. She managed to go one away at 5-1 with a hold of serve.

Sun held for the first time in the set going 5-2 down but this was a back and forth affair and in the next game, Li's class shone through as she managed to shut the door for the final time and seal the title.