For anyone who couldn't get a front row seat to watch Lulu Sun live at Wimbledon, the bean bags at the Te Anau Tennis Club were definitely the next best place to be.
The Southland-born 23-year-old became the talk of the town and grabbed national headlines after she nabbed a spot in the quarterfinals of arguably the biggest tennis tournament in the world.
There was nothing but positive vibes and support from the fans gathered at the club early this morning.
The gateway to Fiordland, Te Anau has a population of around 3000 locals (and a lot more during the peak tourism seasons).
From tennis club members to locals who just wanted in on the action, Sun's midnight match filled up the venue's clubrooms.
The Southland-born tennis sensation played in the quarterfinal stage at Wimbledon this morning. (Source: Breakfast)
Sun's quarterfinal was quite the emotional rollercoaster ride. The local crowd were fixed on the projector screen that was brought in for the special occasion, surrounded by New Zealand flags and with astro-turf on the ground.
They were all there to see their locally-born superstar representing New Zealand on the world stage, the first female from Aotearoa to get to a quarterfinal at Wimbledon.
There were plenty of cheers, especially in the first set — and great southern hospitality too. About halfway through, a whiff of freshly cooked cheese rolls came out from the clubroom kitchen, along with some whitebait fritters and venison throughout the morning.
But the food was secondary to the tennis as the nerves really started to kick in.
"I think I need another beer," one fan said.
Ultimately, the cheers and celebrations became a little quieter around 1.30am as Sun's comeback hopes grew slimmer — before her opponent, 28-year-old Croatian Donna Vekić, managed to take the win.
But while Sun didn't make it through, the reaction from the clubrooms was: "See you for the next one."
"We thought she had it," another fan said. "Not to be.
"But anyway, she'll press on from here and she'll do great things."
The town is ready to see what Sun can do next — and the decorations may even stay up in the clubrooms, with the Paris Olympics just around the corner.
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