BEIJING — When Coco Gauff burst onto the scene seven years ago, all eyes were on the then 15-year-old.
At the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, Gauff made her statement run from qualifying to the fourth round, highlighted by a win over her idol Venus Williams in her first-ever Grand Slam main draw match.
Now, in 2026 at 22 years old, Gauff is well-established with two major titles among her 12 total on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. Monday in Beijing, Gauff will have the chance to compete against 16-year-old Sun Xinran, the World No. 1 junior player from China who is receiving heightened attention as she’s amid her WTA tour-level debut in her home country. Just a few weeks ago, she won the US Open junior title.
“I think she is really promising,” Gauff said on Sun to press after her second round win Saturday. “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.”
Sun’s Beijing campaign has seen her upset Eva Lys 6-1, 3-0 ret. in the first round and Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 7-5 in the second round.
“I’m really, really happy to have this chance playing Coco Gauff because she’s a Grand Slam champion,” Sun said to press in Mandarin. “I’ve been watching her matches on TV. This is a really great opportunity through my own effort. I will value this opportunity. I will try to do my best.”
Despite her age, Sun has stacked up well in her early matches. Against Lys on Thursday, she put on a show to begin the night session on Capital Diamond Court, the venue’s center court. Naturally, she’s been feeling quite nervous before the matches, but once she hits the court, she doesn’t think about the difference in experience.
“Before the match I was pretty nervous,” Sun said. “[Bucsa] is of a higher ranking, but I didn’t think too much because I was just focusing point by point. When I’m on the court, I think I’m not that bad and there is not such a big gap.”
“I do not think too much into it,” Sun added. “This is not something surprising because I know my tennis and I trust myself I could do these things. I’m not worse than other players.”
Gauff reflected on her first year on the WTA Tour and said that it’s the easiest in a way because every matchup is new, opponents don’t have prior to experience to compare with and there isn’t last year’s points to defend.
“From that age, everything feels so new and fresh,” Gauff said. “I don’t think even people are going to put pressure on her. They just want to see her win.”
She did have some advice for the teenager, and that is to not have too high standards as she transitions to from juniors to the professional level in the coming years.
“I think the biggest advice when you’re second year on tour, try not to keep those same expectations,” Gauff said. “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.”
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