🎾 WTA Rome: Lulu Sun vs Georgia Pedone

🎾 WTA Rome: Lulu Sun vs Georgia Pedone – Match Preview

The Italian Open is known for breakout stories—but this match might be more about rediscovery than anything else. Lulu Sun, once one of the hottest names on tour after a fairytale 2023, faces local wildcard Georgia Pedone in the Rome qualifiers. Both are in need of a spark, but only one seems ready to light it.

🧠 Form & Context

Lulu Sun had a breakthrough last year—she reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals as a qualifier, made the Monterrey final, and leapt into the top 40. But 2025 has been an entirely different story. After starting the season 1–7, her confidence has dipped, though she’s shown minor signs of life with R2 finishes in Madrid and the Vic 125k.

Still, for someone with her lefty serve, net skills, and fast-court instincts, Sun can overpower most players when she’s in the mood. She may not be at her best yet, but facing a qualifier with limited WTA experience gives her a perfect platform to rebuild.

Georgia Pedone is Rome’s local hope—only 20 years old and dreaming of her first win at this level. While her junior and ITF career has promise (three clay titles in 2023), she’s 0–6 in WTA matches and hasn’t managed a single tour-level qualifying win. Her 2025 didn’t start well either, with an eight-match losing streak and only modest ITF results in April.

She’s comfortable on clay and will likely get a boost from the crowd, but she’s still green at this level—especially against a player like Sun, who has beaten Grand Slam seeds.

🔍 Match Breakdown

On paper, this should be Sun’s match to lose. Her ability to dictate with pace, change direction, and finish at the net gives her a gear that Pedone simply hasn’t developed yet.

Pedone will need to play long, grinding rallies and hope for nerves or inconsistency from Sun—but unless the New Zealander completely loses rhythm, it’s hard to see the upset.

🔮 Prediction

Sun hasn’t been sharp in 2025, but this is exactly the type of match where she can regain confidence. Pedone will fight hard in front of home fans, but she’s likely to be outgunned from the baseline.

🧩 Prediction: Lulu Sun in straight sets — too much firepower and experience for Pedone to handle just yet.