In a stunning turn of events at the Berlin Open, newly crowned French Open champion Coco Gauff was knocked out in straight sets by Chinese qualifier Xinyu Wang, 6-3, 6-3, on Thursday, June 19, 2025. The second-ranked Gauff, who had just secured her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros less than two weeks prior, struggled to find her footing on the slick grass courts, committing 25 unforced errors and seven double faults during the match.
Gauff, 21, entered the Berlin Open with a bye into the second round, using the grass-court tournament as a warmup for Wimbledon, which is set to begin on June 30. Despite her recent Grand Slam success, Gauff has yet to advance past the fourth round at the All England Club, and her loss to Wang marks a challenging start to her grass season.
Reflecting on the match, Gauff took to social media, writing, "It was a tough one today but happy to be back on court. Tried my best to adjust with the quick turnaround but it wasn't enough. As always, I'm learning as I go so I hope to do better next time." She also expressed optimism about the future, adding, "I'm excited to get some more practices in to be ready for Wimbledon."
Wang, ranked No. 49, delivered a composed and confident performance, capitalizing on Gauff's discomfort on the grass. In her on-court interview, Wang said, "After I won the first set, I just told myself, 'OK, let's take a minute and enjoy this, I'm playing the French Open champion, and I won the first set.' No matter how the second and third go, I was like, 'OK, let's just enjoy it for a second.'" She highlighted her serving and return game as key factors, stating, "I'm really happy with how I played today. I was serving good and putting a lot of pressure on the return, especially second-serve return."
The match saw Wang break Gauff's serve in the seventh game of the first set, which she clinched after Gauff double-faulted on deuce and then missed a drop shot on set point. Although Gauff managed to break back and lead 3-1 in the second set, Wang surged ahead, winning five consecutive games to seal the victory.
Wang's impressive run continued as she progressed to the semifinals of the Berlin Open. On Friday, June 20, she advanced when her quarterfinal opponent, Spaniard Paula Badosa, the No. 8 seed, retired due to injury after Wang led 6-1, 0-0 at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club. Badosa, ranked No. 10, had earlier defeated German wildcard Eva Lys and American Emma Navarro to reach the quarters.
Wang is now set to face the winner of the match between American Amanda Anisimova and Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinals, keeping alive her hopes of a deep run at the WTA 500 event, which boasts a prize pool of EUR 925,661.
Meanwhile, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who lost to Gauff in the French Open final and later apologized for some "unprofessional" comments made after that match, also secured her spot in the Berlin Open quarterfinals. Sabalenka completed a 6-2, 7-6 (6) win over Rebeka Masarova in a match that had been suspended on Wednesday due to slippery court conditions caused by rising humidity after sunset.
When play resumed on Thursday, Sabalenka found herself trailing 3-1 and 4-2 in the second set but managed to break back and force a tiebreak. Despite squandering two match points, she closed out the match when Masarova sent a midcourt forehand into the net. Sabalenka will next face 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
Another notable quarterfinalist is Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, who battled through a three-set thriller lasting 2 hours and 20 minutes to defeat Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3. Vondrousova will face lucky loser Ons Jabeur, a two-time Wimbledon finalist, in the next round.
The Berlin Open has become a pivotal tournament for players to adjust to grass courts ahead of Wimbledon, and this year’s event has already produced significant upsets and intense matches. Gauff’s unexpected early exit and Wang’s rise to the semifinals underscore the unpredictability of grass-court tennis and the challenges even top players face when transitioning from clay.
As Wimbledon approaches, all eyes will be on Coco Gauff to see how she rebounds from this setback and whether she can finally break through the fourth-round barrier at the All England Club. Meanwhile, Wang’s breakthrough performance in Berlin has put her on the radar as a formidable contender on grass, demonstrating that qualifiers can make waves against the sport’s elite.
