Lu Yen-hsun
Taiwan- Biography of Lu Yen-hsun
- Rise in Junior Rankings
- Breakthrough in ATP Rankings
- Injuries and Comeback
- Training and Progress
- Continued Success
- Grand Slam Performances
- Historic Achievement
Biography of Lu Yen-hsun
Lu Yen-hsun, also known as Randy, was born on August 14, 1983, in Taoyuan, Taiwan. He started playing tennis at the age of eight and quickly showed promise in the sport.
Rise in Junior Rankings
On February 4, 2001, Lu reached the third spot in the junior singles rankings. He also defeated several future ATP stars, including Robin Soderling, Mario Ancic, and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Breakthrough in ATP Rankings
In 2004, Lu became the first player from Taiwan to break into the ATP Top 100. He achieved this milestone through his performances in Challengers during the first half of the year. While he experienced both victories and defeats in other tournaments, his most notable win came at the Queen's Club Championships, where he defeated Guillermo Coria, then ranked third in the world.
Injuries and Comeback
Unfortunately, a series of injuries in 2005 caused Lu's ranking to plummet. However, he made a strong comeback the following year, reaching the semifinals of four Challenger tournaments. He even made it to the final of one of these tournaments, where he lost to his friend Kristian Pless. Two weeks later, Lu won the Challenger in Caloundra, defeating Australian Peter Luczak. By the end of the year, Lu had climbed from 140 to 89 in the ATP rankings.
Training and Progress
In winter 2006, Lu trained with Rainer Schuettler and Janko Tipsarevic in Dubai under the guidance of Dirk Hordorff. This training quickly paid off as Lu reached the second round of the Australian Open and made his first ATP final in Memphis in 2007, where he was runner-up to Andy Roddick. On February 26, 2007, Lu entered the Top 80.
Continued Success
In 2008, Lu won Challenger tournaments in Waikoloa, New Delhi, and Tashkent, and reached the finals of three others. One of his best performances that year came at the Beijing Olympics, where he represented the Chinese Taipei association. Lu shocked spectators by defeating Andy Murray, then ranked sixth in the world, in straight sets in the first round. He continued his winning streak by defeating Agustin Calleri in the second round before losing to Jurgen Melzer in the third round.
Grand Slam Performances
At the 2009 Australian Open, Lu reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. He defeated David Nalbandian in the second round but was surpassed by Tommy Robredo in the third round. Lu also achieved a notable victory over former world number one Lleyton Hewitt in the first round of the Delray Beach International, but he was ultimately defeated by Stefan Koubek in the second round. In May 2009, Lu won the Israel Open, defeating Benjamin Becker in the final.
Historic Achievement
At Wimbledon 2010, Lu became the first Taiwanese player to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament and the first from Asia to do so in 15 years. In the 2011 Farmers Classic, Lu won his first-round match against Robby Ginepri and defeated Marcos Baghdatis in the second round before falling to Ryan Harrison in the quarterfinals. At the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open, Lu was the top seed but lost to Alex Bogdanovic in the second round. He also exited the Rogers Cup in the first round, losing to Bernard Tomic.
