BJK Cup: Sun shines for NZ in win over India

By the time Lulu Sun was in middle school, she was grappling with an identity crisis. Born in New Zealand to a Chinese mother and Croatian father, she attended school in Switzerland.

- Shahid Judge

If the internal torment wasn't enough, she was constantly taunted for being the only person of Asian descent in her school.

"Growing up, I sort of had this question about where do I belong," she said, on the sidelines of the Billie Jean King Cup Open in Pune. "When I was a teenager and trying to find myself and see where I belong in society, me and my sister were the only Asian kids in school. We had experiences of facing racism. It was really tough." It was at that stage that she started to immerse herself more in tennis. She had questions about her background, and tennis gave her an identity. And on the first day of the premier women's tennis team event here, Sun made her presence felt.