Coco Gauff’s Shocking 2nd Round Exit at German Open: Xinyu Wang’s Stunning Victory After Roland-Garros Glory

Coco Gauff, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, just faced an unexpected defeat at the German Open. After her impressive win at the French Open, she lost in the second round to Xinyu Wang from China, with a score of 6-3, 6-3.

This match was Gauff’s first since her big victory at Roland-Garros on June 7. Although she started strong, Wang made a remarkable comeback from being down 3-1 in the second set to earn her place in the quarterfinals in Berlin. Wang has now celebrated her third win against a top-10 player, having previously defeated Jessica Pegula, ranked No. 5, at Wimbledon last year.

Wang reflected on her win: "After I won the first set, I told myself, ‘Let’s take a minute and enjoy this… I won the first set against the French Open champion.’" This mindset reveals the confidence and determination typical of rising stars in the sport.

Gauff’s early departure means she won’t have the chance to face Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked player she defeated in Paris. Sabalenka also advanced to the quarterfinals, setting up an exciting path to a potential rematch later in the tournament.

Gauff has had a fantastic clay season, reaching finals in Madrid and Rome. However, she has less experience on grass, which may have contributed to her loss. Her career record on grass is 21 wins and 10 losses, equating to a 68% success rate. In contrast, her performance on hard courts has been even stronger, with a 70% win rate.

Historically, Gauff has struggled on grass, never advancing beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon, where she was eliminated last year by Emma Navarro. As the next Wimbledon event approaches, which starts on June 30, Gauff will aim to use her French Open triumph as motivation to improve her grass-court performance and recover from this recent setback.

With the tennis season constantly evolving, fans are eager to see how Gauff bounces back and what her strategy will be to tackle the challenges of grass courts going forward.

For more on tennis performances and statistics, you can check out the Tennis Gazette.

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