Grass courts in Berlin lit up as China’s Wang Xinyu reached her first WTA Tour singles final with a commanding win over World No. 20 Liudmila Samsonova.
The 23-year-old dropped serve early but fought back to seal the first set 6-4, then dominated the second 6-1 with aggressive returns and solid baseline play.
Her path to the final has been remarkable: after two qualifying victories, she beat World No. 16 Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-2, then upset French Open champion and World No. 2 Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, she led 6-1 before World No. 10 Paula Badosa retired with an injury.
With four straight wins against top-20 opponents, Wang is one of the breakout stories of the grass season and is projected to climb in the rankings after moving from World No. 49 closer to the top 40.
“This week has been a dream for me. I came here to enjoy every match,” said Wang after her semifinal victory.
On Sunday, Wang will face Czech left-hander Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, who beat World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
As the Berlin Open final approaches, all eyes are on Wang Xinyu’s potential to make history and leave her mark on the WTA Tour.
Reference(s):
Wang Xinyu reaches first WTA singles final of career at Berlin Open
cgtn.com
