Published: 08:50, June 22, 2025 | Updated: 10:30, June 22, 2025
China's Wang Xinyu reaches first singles final with stunning run in Berlin
By Xinhua
China's Wang Xinyu competes during the women's singles semifinal match against Russia's Liudmila Samsonova at the WTA 500 Berlin Open on June 21, 2025. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BERLIN - China's Wang Xinyu continued her sensational form on grass courts, storming into her first-ever WTA Tour singles final with a straight-sets victory over world No. 20 Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinals of the WTA 500 Berlin Open on Saturday.

The 23-year-old battled through early nerves in the opening set, exchanging breaks with Samsonova before steadying herself under pressure. After being broken mid-set, Wang responded immediately with a break of her own and went on to take the first set 6-4.

Carrying that momentum into the second set, Wang dominated with aggressive returns and consistent baseline play. Samsonova, plagued by unforced errors, was unable to mount a comeback, and Wang closed out the match convincingly with a 6-1 win.

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"This week has been a dream for me. I've been playing unbelievable tennis here," Wang said in her on-court interview. "Coming into every match here, I wasn't expecting anything. For me, it was really just to enjoy the stage."

Russia's Liudmila Samsonova returns the ball to China's Wang Xinyu during their semi-final match at the WTA tennis tournament in Berlin on June 21, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP)

Wang's breakthrough performance has been one of the standout stories of the grass-court season. After navigating two rounds of qualifying, Wang ousted world No. 16 Daria Kasatkina in the first round, then stunned newly-crowned French Open champion and world No. 2 Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 for her first career victory against a top-two player.

In the quarterfinals, Wang took the first set 6-1 before Paula Badosa was forced to retire due to injury. Her win over Samsonova marked her fourth consecutive victory over a top-20 opponent this week, underlining her rise on the WTA Tour and establishing a new personal best on grass.

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Wang will face 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in Sunday's final, who earlier defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the other semifinal.