China's Wang Xinyu finishes as runner-up at WTA Berlin Open in grass-court breakthrough

China's Wang Xinyu capped off a milestone week at the WTA Berlin Open, posting a runner-up finish at the 500-level tournament on Sunday after a fierce three-set battle in the final against former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.

Despite falling 7-6 (10), 4-6, 6-2 in the championship contest, the 23-year-old from Shenzhen delivered a career-best performance on grass, signaling her rising presence among the sport's elite players.

Wang showed great composure and shot-making in a tightly-contested opening set. She broke Vondrousova early with powerful forehands and aggressive court positioning. Although the Czech responded with her trademark variety and consistency, Wang earned six set points in a tense tiebreaker before narrowly falling 12-10.

In the second set, Wang regained her focus and tactical discipline, cutting down on unforced errors and once again leaning on her explosive forehand. She converted a crucial break in the 10th game to take the set 6-4.

Despite beginning to show fatigue in the decider, Wang continued to fight, but Vondrousova's experience and clever use of slices proved decisive. The Czech converted two key breaks and closed out the third set 6-2 to claim the title.

After the match, Wang thanked the fans for their passionate support throughout the week, calling the capacity crowd at the final "amazing," while also congratulating Vondrousova for her strong performance.

She acknowledged her own team's support and closed her comments with a lighthearted remark. "You know why I lost today? Because you [my team] sat in the other box," she joked, drawing laughter from the crowd. "It's been an unbelievable week for us. We'll keep building and look forward to the next one."

Wang's performance in Berlin marked her first time reaching a grass-court final. After navigating two rounds of qualifying, China's World No. 49 ousted 16th-ranked Daria Kasatkina in the first round, before stunning newly-crowned French Open champion and World No. 2 Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in the last 16, 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. The 23-year-old's subsequent 6-4, 6-1 win over Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinals marked her fourth consecutive victory over a top-20 opponent this week.

She will climb 16 spots to World No. 33 in this week's updated edition of the rankings.