Coco Gauff’s triumphant return to the court after her Roland Garros victory was met with a surprising setback at the Berlin Tennis Open 2025. The newly crowned French Open champion and world No. 2 was handed a straight-sets defeat by Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu, 6-3, 6-3, in the second round. It was Gauff’s first match since clinching her second Grand Slam title, and the transition from clay to grass proved to be a tough challenge for the 21-year-old American star.
Struggling with her first serve and tallying 25 unforced errors along with seven double faults, Gauff couldn’t find her rhythm on grass. Wang, meanwhile, showcased supreme confidence and power, turning defense into offense with clinical precision. The 23-year-old from Shenzhen, who came through two qualifying rounds and had already taken down former Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur earlier in the week, earned the biggest win of her career by ranking. Notably, all of her three career Top 10 victories have come against top-ranked American players.
“I’m playing the French Open champion—and I won the first set!” Wang said joyfully after the match. “No matter what happened next, I just wanted to enjoy it.” Her solid returns, particularly against Gauff’s second serve, and her ability to recover from an early break in the second set were key to her historic win.
Despite the loss, Gauff remains optimistic: “It was a tough one today, but happy to be back on court,” she posted on social media. “Tried my best to adjust with the quick turnaround but it wasn’t enough. I’m learning and looking forward to getting more practice ahead of Wimbledon.”
Wang now advances to the quarterfinals where she will face eighth seed Paula Badosa, who dispatched Emma Navarro in straight sets. Elsewhere in Berlin, top seed Aryna Sabalenka also progressed, setting up a blockbuster quarterfinal clash with Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion. Sabalenka, still reeling from her French Open final loss to Gauff, will be seeking redemption on the grass.
As for Gauff, the focus shifts to Wimbledon, where she’ll aim to convert her grass-court potential into a deeper run than ever before. The countdown to SW19 begins.
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