Sun rises in Beijing, sets third-round clash vs. Gauff

At just 16 years old, Sun Xinran owned the night once again at the China Open, and the home crowd made sure she knew it.

The atmosphere was electric as Sun defeated 27th seed Cristina Bucsa of Spain 6-4, 7-5 in the second round. The partisan crowd rallied behind Sun, with chants of her name echoing through the night throughout the match. 

“I really like that many Chinese people are here supporting me, I can hear their cheers,” Sun said.

There was not an empty seat on the Moon Court as people were even standing around the perimeter to catch a glimpse of the youngest player in the tournament. 

Sun will face No. 3 seed Coco Gauff in the next round and is excited to rise to the challenge. 

“She’s really amazing player,” Sun said. “She’s Grand Slam champion. So, I’m so excited to play with her. I respect her. So, I just try to play my best tennis point by point, and we will see what’s happen.”

The conditions were windy and cold, and even a plastic bag was blown onto the court, pausing play. Sun showed no signs of her rookie status, appearing calm and collected as she persevered through the first set. 

“I know my tennis and I trust myself I could do these things,” she said. 

She lost the first eight points of the second set, but quickly found her footing.

“In the second set at the beginning it’s not easy because between the break from the first set, it’s a longer break, there’s a fall in your focus,” Sun said. “I will try to get myself focused on the match again and do not give up after the break.” 

Sun was able to rally and win the next three games, ultimately bringing home the win. Sun converted on 4 of 5 break points.

This is the first WTA Tour event for Sun, who is ranked world No. 582. But the teenager is no stranger to high stakes. She won the U.S. Open Juniors in September and reached two more junior finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. 

Though Sun is just 16 years old, she feels as if when she is on the court, her age gap with her opponents does not matter. 

“When I’m on the court I think I’m not that bad and there is not such a big gap,” she said. 

Her words echo those of her next opponent, Gauff, who burst onto the world stage as a 15-year-old at 2019 Wimbledon. That year, Gauff made her WTA debut and proceeded to topple five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams to earn her first WTA win. 

"I think she is really promising," Gauff said when asked about Sun. "At 16, to be winning a junior Slam, being able to compete on the biggest tournament probably so far of her career, I know she's going to play great tennis against me. I've been in that position."

Asked what advice she might offer her young opponent, Gauff, still just 22-years old herself, reflected on her own prodigious young career. 

"From that age, everything feels so new and fresh," Gauff said. "I think the first year on tour is honestly the easiest in a way, because new matchups, no one knows how to play you, there's no points to defend. I don't think even people are going to put pressure on her. They just want to see her win.

"I think the biggest advice when it's you're second year on tour, try not to keep those same expectations. She'll be 17 on her second year. Remember that you're 17 years old, you're going to fail, you're going to succeed.

"Obviously when you're young, especially coming from juniors when you're used to winning, it's sometimes tough to lose. I think it's really cool for her to continue to have a good tournament. Obviously I would love to play her."

By Sierra Hanson