by Sportswriters Li Bowen, Ma Xiangfei and Wang Chunyan

BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Reflecting on her breakout performance -- reaching her first WTA Tour final, Chinese tennis player Wang Xinyu says she has reshaped her outlook on a sport that is now "more and more interesting" to her.

A TURNING POINT

The 23-year-old's run to the WTA 500 Berlin final last week came just one week after a first-round exit at a WTA 250 grass-court event in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Wang said the turnaround began with a low point - a moment in a Berlin qualifying match when she almost gave up entirely.

"I came to Berlin with very mixed feelings," she said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua, admitting her confidence was low after her early exit in the Netherlands.

That critical moment came in her first qualifying match against Australia's Talia Gibson. After dropping the first set 6-3, Wang said she nearly quit.

"I couldn't find my rhythm... I was angry and disappointed with myself. At one point, I briefly thought about giving up," she said.

Encouragement from her team helped shift her mindset.

"They were almost pushing me to continue... I felt a bit 'forced' to try again, but as a result, I gradually started to relax and play better," Wang said. "I ended up winning a very tight match. For me, that match was a huge turning point."

HUGE TAKEAWAY

Building on that momentum, Wang surged through the main draw. She knocked out world No. 16 Daria Kasatkina in the first round, then stunned newly crowned French Open champion and world No. 2 Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 for her first career win over a top-two player.

In the quarterfinals, she led 6-1 before Paula Badosa retired due to injury. Wang then defeated Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals, notching her fourth straight win over a top-20 opponent.

But life isn't a movie with a perfect ending.

In a grueling three-set final, Wang was edged by former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, 7-6 (10), 4-6, 6-2.

"Of course, it's a huge pity, because I had an early break in the first set and plenty of chances in the tiebreak," Wang said. "But the fact that we could play such a close match is a huge takeaway for me."

Though she described the immediate aftermath as "the toughest moment," she now looks back with optimism.

"I hope to reach more finals and win my first championship trophy soon," she added.

DON'T LET IT DEFINE YOU

After the Berlin final, Wang posted a selfie on social media with the caption, "My photo with the trophy."

Anyone who watched the ceremony knew there was no actual trophy - just a pendant. The post's dry humor was a surprising contrast to the calm and even-keeled image many have of her.

Wang says both sides of her are genuine. "In my daily life, I'm someone who finds happiness pretty easily."

She said she's learning not to let match results define her self-worth - a constant challenge on tour.

"We go through the intense mental test of winning and losing every week," she said. "I think whether you win or lose, you shouldn't let it define your personal value."

A string of losses, she noted, can make players "doubt everything... not just on a tennis level, but you start to doubt yourself as a person and can become very negative."

Her solution is to find joy in the small things - like good weather or a nice cup of coffee.

"Since our job is like this, you have to see how you can get better, how you can love life more, and find things that make you happy in the small details," Wang added. ■