“Grass has been trial and error for me,” said Coco Gauff recently. Gauff may have won the French Open trophy earlier this month while establishing her command of clay, but the World No.2 is yet to prove her mettle on grass. The surface has remained an unsolved mystery for her so far. But with a newfound confidence of being a two-time slam queen, the 21-year-old will look to start this season’s grass journey on a winning note when she steps on the court against Xinyu Wang on Thursday. Both players will lock horn in the Round of 16 at the Berlin Open. So who will have the last laugh and advance into the quarterfinals? Let’s try to find out!
Coco Gauff v Xinyu Wang: Preview
Coco Gauff’s 2025 season wasn’t going well at the start. After delivering a promising run at the Australian Open, having reached the quarterfinal, she failed to even clear the early rounds across various tournaments. At the Qatar Open, Dubai Tennis Championships, Indian Wells, and Miami Open, the American WTA pro was ousted in Round of 32, Round of 32, Round of 16, and Round of 16 respectively. Fortunately, she finally found her rhythm at the Stuttgart Open on the clay surface, in April. She managed to reach the quarterfinal, and from then there was no looking back.
As the clay season progressed, Gauff became more consistent. In Madrid and Rome, she entered back-to-back finals. While she didn’t win either trophy, the performances gave her a boost in confidence for the French Open. Speaking of which, Gauff went on to script history on Parisian clay. She won her second slam of the career. In the summit clash, she beat World No.1 and arch rival Aryna Sabalenka with a scoreline of 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. After Serena Williams in 2015, she became the first American player to lift the Suzanne Lenglen trophy.
Speaking of her opponent, China’s Xinyu Wang’s 2025 season has been more or less forgettable. Back in January, she failed to create any impact in back-to-back tournaments. In Brisbane, Adelaide, and Australian Open, the 23-year-old faced early exits. She was eliminated in thr Round of 64, Round of 32, and the first round. However, she found success in between at the Singapore Open. Wang made it to the semis before losing to Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
Image Credits: Xinyu Wang/Instagram
Unfortunately, her poor form caught up to her once again. In Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Rome, she was ousted in the Round of 64, Round of 64, Round of 32, Round of 128, Round of 128, and Round of 128 again. She managed to find some relief in Parma, making it to the quarterfinal before her defeat to Canada’s Victoria Mboko. But inconsistency surfaced yet again in Strasbourg, the French Open, and Libema. In all these events, she couldn’t move past the Round of 16, First Round, and Round of 32. After failing to impress on the grass in Libema, however, she’s managed to kick off her next campaign on this surface with a win. In Berlin, on Tuesday, she beat formidable opponent Australia’s Daria Kasatkina, in the Round of 32, with a score line of 6-3, 6-2.
Gauff v Wang: Head-to-Head
Both players have faced each other only once in their careers. Currently, Coco Gauff leads the H2H tally 1-0 against Wang. Interestingly, their face-off took place in Berlin three years ago.
2022 Berlin R16: Gauff 6-0, 6-4
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in straight sets
When it comes to the singles record, Coco Gauff is miles ahead of her Chinese counterpart. With a solid win percentage of 79.41, the French Open winner has clinched 27 of her 34 encounters. On the other hand, Xinyu Wang has won just 9 of her 23 overall matches.
But what about their event history? Well, Gauff has been consistent on grass in Berlin. However, she’s yet to lift the trophy in this WTA 500 tournament. In her three appearances (2022, 2023, and 2024), she’s made it to the semis, Round of 16, and then semis again. Speaking of Wang, she’s failed to create an impact. In her previous three campaigns (2022, 2023, and 2024), she’s been unable to move beyond the Round of 16, Round of 32, and Round of 32 respectively.
Now coming onto their playing styles, Gauff is known for her ferocious serves and impeccable groundstrokes. Combine that up with her aggression on the court, when close to the net. She can also easily adjust her movement between the baseline and the net. On the other hand, Wang is an aggressive baseliner. In her arsenal, she’s got powerful serves and impactful groundstrokes. She also prefers to dominate rallies from the baseline to earn crucial points with hard-hitting strokes.
Taking into consideration the overall form, Coco Gauff looks an absolute favorite in the upcoming battle. The 2025 French Open queen is expected to win in straight sets against Wang on Thursday.
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