Coco Gauff had barely even watched Sun Xinran play before facing the 16-year-old Chinese phenom in Beijing. She had seen enough to know she’d be up for a tough task on Monday as she faced the Shenzhen native at the China Open.
Featuring on tour as a rising 15 and 16-year-old, Gauff knows what it’s like to play with nothing to lose and the excitement of facing top players for the first time. She figured Sun would come out swinging and she was right.
“I knew she was going to play great tennis,” Gauff said after defeating Sun 7-5, 6-1 on Monday. “I wasn’t surprised by the level at all. I think that was probably the best prep, just expecting her to play top-10, top-20 tennis, which I think she did.”
That is high praise for a player who was making her WTA main-draw debut this week, and one who became the youngest to ever win multiple matches at the China Open.
Sun, the world No.1 junior and reigning US Open girls’ singles champion, earned her first two tour-level victories over Eva Lys and Cristina Bucsa to reach the third round in Beijing. Against Gauff, she showed why so many are expecting her rise to continue.
Sun had opportunities in a competitive opening set before Gauff found another gear, winning nine of the final ten games.
“She doesn’t have any major weaknesses,” Gauff said. “She can get a lot of balls back and play aggressive. She hits it real flat. Kind of reminds me of [Jessica Pegula] a little bit.”
Gauff was particularly impressed by Sun’s ability to hurt her off both wings, noting that the teenager repeatedly found the line with her forehand and “killed me on a couple backhand crosses.”
Sun leaves Beijing with plenty to build on – and a ranking that is already heading in the right direction. She is up to No.418 in the live rankings and will not turn 17 until next July.
For Gauff, there is little question about where Sun is headed. She was asked if it felt like she was playing a version of herself on Monday, and she quickly rebuffed the question.
“Felt like I’m playing a girl who is going to be, like, a really great player for many years to come,” she said. “One of those players that you know is going to do well on tour. It’s just a matter of time.”
Sun Takes Lessons
As for Sun, she’s taking the lessons and going back to work. She said there was so much to learn from facing three bona fide WTA veterans in China.
“I see professional players have really big differences [compared to] junior players. They know how to change their rhythm. Their serve is much better than mine. So I will try to improve myself and I will try to improve my serve and my energy on the court.”
Though disappointed with the way she let her energy drop as the match slipped away, Sun says she’ll learn from the experience.
“There were chances I could take to win the first set,” she said. “The second set my mindset was affected. There was some collapse in my emotions in the second set. I was extremely nervous. I also respect her.
“It was very tough in the second set. This is a good lesson for me. I will learn a lot from the second set.”
In the end, the experience has left Sun believing in herself, and eager to continue her progress.
“I think this tournament gave me opportunity against top players,” she said. “From first round to the third round, you see the players are getting higher in their ranking. It just shows I have the ability to play against those players. This really motivates me to improve myself.”
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