"It's a dream week," savors Wang Xinyu before playing the final in Berlin
Ranked 49th in the world at the start of the week, Wang Xinyu is living a dream in the German capital. Competing in the WTA 500 tournament in Berlin, the Chinese player, who had to go through qualifying, has overcome every obstacle in her path.
After a victory in the final round of qualifying against Ons Jabeur, she—who will rise to at least 32nd in the WTA rankings this Monday—went on to defeat Daria Kasatkina (6-3, 6-2), Coco Gauff (6-3, 6-3), Paula Badosa (6-1 ret.), and Liudmila Samsonova (6-4, 6-1).
However, her run could have ended prematurely, as Wang, who struggled in her first match of the tournament against Talia Gibson in qualifying, was close to throwing in the towel. It was thanks to her team's support that she ultimately persevered, winning the match (3-6, 7-6, 7-5).
After her victory over the Russian player, the 23-year-old—who will play her first career final on tour against Marketa Vondrousova this Sunday—reflected on the twists and turns of her German week.
"I know it’s been a very tough season for me so far. I wasn’t planning to retire from tennis, just to withdraw from that qualifying match. I’m not that dramatic!
I just felt it wasn’t my day, and I thought my tournament was over. My team pushed me onto the court, they said, ‘No, no, don’t give up.’ Now, I have to thank them.
It’s a dream week for me. I’ve played really great tennis here. To be honest, I didn’t have many expectations for myself in this tournament—I just approached each match without any particular pressure.
My priority was simply to enjoy myself every time," the Chinese player shared with WTA media after her match against Samsonova on Saturday afternoon.
Berlin 
