Photo credit: Berlin Tennis Open Facebook
Coco Gauff was tripped up in transition today.
A tough Xinyu Wang rolled through the final five games in a row wrapping a 6-3, 6-3 sweep of Gauff to charge into the Berlin Tennis Open quarterfinals.
"After I won the first set I was like let’s take a moment and enjoy this," Wang said. "I’m really happy with how I played today.
"I was serving good and putting a lot of pressure on return, especially the second serve return…Yeah, I’m really happy to get through today."
It was Gauff’s first match since she out-dueled Aryna Sabalenka to win her maiden Roland Garros championship on June 7th.
Today, Wang beat Gauff to the punch, pounded away at the American’s weaker forehand wing and exploited seven double faults from the two-time Grand Slam champion.
The Chinese qualifier converted four of 11 break-point chances in avenging a 2022 Berlin loss to Gauff.
Making the relatively quick turnaround from Paris’ red clay to Berlin’s green grass, Gauff was passive at times and struggled to consistently find her range and rhythm.
It is Gauff’s third opening-round exit of the season—and first since she fell to McCartney Kessler in her Dubai opener in February. Gauff had reached three consecutive finals on red clay—Madrid, Rome and Paris—and four finals in her last 10 tournaments going back to her title run at the WTA Finals last fall.
Four Grand Slam champions took the court in Berlin today. Three of them—Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova—prevailed before Gauff fell.
Earlier, world No. 1 Sabalenka completed her 6-2, 7-6(6) victory over Rebeka Masarova.
That match began yesterday, but after dropping the opening set, Masarova told the chair umpire the court was “too slippery” after she took a tumble. That complaint prompted suspension of play and annoyed Sabalenka, who pointed out she had just played two games on Masarova’s side of the court and pointed out the Swiss qualifier lobbied for the stoppage because she’s “losing the match.”
The top-seeded Sabalenka saved seven of eight break points in a one hour, 48-minute triumph advancing to a quarterfinal clash of Grand Slam champions vs. Rybakina.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina conquered qualifier Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 7-6(5). Rybakina hit five aces against eight double faults rallying from a break down in both sets into her second straight Berlin quarterfinal.
Sabalenka has won six of 10 meetings vs. Rybakina, including a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in the 2023 Australian Open final.
In a clash of talented left-handers, Vondrousova denied Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 for her second quarterfinal of the season.
The 2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova converted eight of 15 break points in a two hour, 20 minute victory.
It is the second Berlin quarterfinal in the last three years for Vondrousova, who scored her first Top 10 win of the year toppling Australian Open champion Madison Keys in her opener.
World No. 164 Vondrousova will face Ons Jabeur in a quarterfinal rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final.
Two years ago, the then world No. 42 Vondrousova swept an error-prone Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 to become the first unseeded Wimbledon women’s champion in history.
Down a break in both sets, Vondrousova never pressed the panic button rolling through five of the final six games to deny Jabeur’s dream of becoming the first African, first Arab and first Tunisian woman to capture a Grand Slam singles title.