Gauff loses first match since winning French Open

BERLIN (AP) — Newly crowned French Open champion Coco Gauff was stunned on her return to action Thursday, losing to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-3 at the Berlin Open. The second-ranked Gauff, who won at Roland Garros less than two weeks ago for her second Grand Slam title, amassed 25 unforced errors and seven double faults in her loss to Wang. Gauff had a bye to the second round at the grass-court tournament, a warmup for Wimbledon. "It was a tough one today but happy to be back on court," Gauff wrote on her social media accounts. "Tried my best to adjust with the quick turnaround but it wasn't enough. As always, I'm learning as I go so I hope to do better next time." The 21-year-old Gauff added that she is "excited to get some more practices in to be ready for Wimbledon," which starts June 30. She has not made it past the fourth round at the All England Club. Wang, ranked No. 49, said she would have been pleased just with the first set, considering the level of her 21-year-old opponent. "After I won the first set, I just told myself 'OK let's take a minute and enjoy this, I'm playing the French Open champion, and I won the first set,'" she said in her on-court interview. "No matter how the second and third go, I was like, 'OK let's just enjoy it for a second,'" said Wang, who will face Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals. "I'm really happy with how I played today. I was serving good and putting a lot of pressure on the return, especially second-serve return." Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka finished off Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (6) in a match that was suspended Wednesday after one set because of a slippery court. Sabalenka lost to Gauff at the French Open final and later apologized to the American for making "unprofessional" comments after the Paris title match. Sabalenka will meet 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. Kvitova to retire in September LONDON — Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova plans to retire in a few months, the Czech player said Thursday. The announcement on social media came a day after Kvitova was granted a wild card for Wimbledon. "I am excited and very much looking forward to soak in the beauty of playing The Championships, Wimbledon one more time, a place that holds the most cherished memories in my career," Kvitova said. "And while I am not entirely sure yet what my hardcourt swing in the US will look like, I am intending to finish my active playing career at the US Open in New York later this summer." The 35-year-old Kvitova reached a career-high ranking of No. 2 and also helped the Czech Republic to six trophies in the Fed Cup, which is now known as the Billie Jean King Cup. Kvitova last played at Wimbledon in 2023, and became a mother for the first time when her son was born during last year's tournament at the All England Club. Kvitova made her return to the WTA Tour in Austin, Texas, in February after 17 months away from the court and is currently ranked 572nd. Wimbledon begins June 30.