Sun exorcises ghosts of Grand Slam finals past to claim US Open title
Sun Xinran has won a Junior Grand Slam singles final at the third time of asking after defeating Anna Pushkareva to lift silverware at the US Open Junior Championships in New York.
Sun held her nerve superbly to defeat Pushkareva – her conqueror in the Wimbledon girls’ final in July – to become the first Chinese player to win a Junior Grand Slam singles title since 2018.
Wang Xiyu was the last to do so, a triumph which also came at the US Open, and she has proceeded to become a Top 100 player in the WTA Rankings, peaking at No. 49 in 2023. In short, solid footsteps for any aspiring junior to follow.
Her success in New York felt like a big moment for Sun given she had gone the distance at Wimbledon and indeed Roland Garros already this season, only to suffer defeat with Grand Slam glory tantalisingly within reach.
Wimbledon felt particularly galling after Sun had surged into a one-set lead in the final, only for Pushkareva retaliate with considerable effect and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
But Sun, who has achieved so much considering she only turned 16 in July, was very much back in the saddle here in New York. Even when Pushkarva levelled the match at one-set all this time around, which potentially evoked memories of Wimbledon, she brushed it off and powered to victory, 6-4 4-6 6-0.
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“It was really big pressure because this was my third Junior Grand Slam final and I lost the other two,” said Sun. “As I said after my semi-final, nobody wants to lose but going through that pain makes you stronger.
“It would have been better not to lose, but those experiences will make me stronger. Some players maybe come and win a Junior Grand Slam first time, but the experiences are important.
“To prepare for the third time, I wanted to sleep well because before the other two finals I was so nervous and couldn’t sleep. This time I wanted to just focus more on my tactics and not about the result. This was really important for me.
“I feel I was more relaxed this time. Only two players can go to a final and I just wanted to enjoy it and focus on the match and my tactics. It worked and I am very happy.”
Sun has achieved much in a short space of time and has some impressive achievements tucked away in her back pocket.
The teenager has already claimed two professional titles on the World Tennis Tour – at back-to-back W15 Sharm El Sheikh events in October 2025 – and has enjoyed notable successes on the World Tennis Tour Juniors.
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In May, while still only 15, Sun triumphed at Trofeo Bonfiglio in Milan to become the sixth-youngest girl to win two J500 titles – J500s are a rung below Junior Grand Slams in terms of ranking points on offer.
This followed her victory at J500 Fort Lauderdale – the Orange Bowl – in December 2025. Incidentally, Anna Kournikova, Caroline Wozniacki and Amanda Anisimova are among the names to have achieved the feat at a younger age.
Combined with her Junior Grand Slam exploits, this has seen Sun, who has trained in Serbia with her coach Goran Zivitic for the past five years, rise to the No. 1 slot in the World Tennis girls’ rankings.
She is an incredibly focussed individual and is already looking to her next challenge.
“This is just the first step,” added Sun. “I don't want to be, ‘this is so important'. I just want to enjoy today, and tomorrow we need start to working. Next week, I need go back to the court and focus on the next tournament.
“Looking further ahead, this is such a special tournament in New York. I want to come back here next year, and maybe in future I can play a professional final here. It's so special for me.”
Sun is another player to have received financial assistance through the World Tennis-operated Grand Slam Player Development Programme in the form of Grand Slam Player Grants. Earlier this year, Sun received $25,000 towards her ongoing costs.
This development programme is financed by the Grand Slams, but it is World Tennis modelling that determines the players selected for grants. It aims to provide players from underrepresented nations with greater access to competitive pathways.
In the girls' doubles, meanwhile, Annika and Kristina Penickova joined forces to claim victory, defeating Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva in the final.
This was the pair's second Junior Grand Slam doubles title together after they conquered all before them at the 2025 Australian Open. Kristina also won the Wimbledon girls' doubles title alongside Vendula Valdmannova in 2025.
A full list of results from the 2026 US Open Junior Championships can be found here