Match Report | WTA Auckland: Wang Xinyu narrowly misses title, Guo Hanyu claims first Chinese flower's New Year crown

On January 11th Beijing time, the WTA250 Auckland women's singles final was held, with Chinese player Wang Xinyu losing 3-6, 6-7(6) to top seed and Ukrainian veteran Svitolina, earning the runner-up spot. This is her second time finishing as runner-up in a WTA singles event (the first was at Berlin last year). Due to her strong showing at this tournament, Wang Xinyu’s current ranking has climbed to No.43, and she is set to return to the world’s top 50 next week.

Before this match, the two players had only met once in 2024 at Wimbledon, where Svitolina won straight sets conceding just three games. Today’s encounter was more intense; Wang Xinyu immediately pressured her opponent’s first service game, earning a break point but failing to convert it. Later, Svitolina seized the opportunity to break in the sixth game and took the first set 6-3. The second set was tightly contested through twelve games, with Wang leading 3-0 in the tiebreak but unable to maintain her advantage, eventually losing 6-8 in the tiebreak.

Wang Xinyu

Wang Xinyu ended 2025 on a low note with six consecutive losses on tour, but she showed promising form in the season’s opening event. She defeated McNally and Zarazua in the first two rounds, then advanced to the quarterfinals when British player Jones retired while Wang led 6-4, 4-3. Her semifinal performance was especially impressive as she battled back from a set down to overcome the rapidly rising Filipino star Ella, reaching her first career hardcourt final.

Although she fell short of the title, this remains a strong start to the season for Wang Xinyu. At the award ceremony, she said, “This has been an incredible week for me. I’m not fighting alone—I want to thank my team. Over the past few years, I’ve dealt with injuries, and sometimes the most important thing is the support from those around you. I’m very grateful to them and happy to start the 2026 season this way.”

Wang Xinyu’s excellent performance this week certainly raises expectations for her Australian Open campaign. She passed the first round in Melbourne in 2022 and 2023 but was unfortunately eliminated in the opening round the past two years. With her elbow injury gradually healing and form improving, Wang is fully capable of achieving great results at this year’s Australian Open.

Guo Hanyu / Meladnovic Crowned Champions

In the earlier completed women’s doubles final, Guo Hanyu emerged victorious in an all-Chinese derby. Partnering with Meladnovic, they defeated third seeds Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan 7-6(7), 6-1 to claim the title in their first collaboration. This marks Guo Hanyu’s sixth WTA doubles title in her career and secures the first championship for Chinese tennis in the 2026 season. For Meladnovic, it is her 30th doubles tour title. The duo will continue to compete together at this year’s Australian Open, while Guo will also appear in the Australian Open qualifying next week, facing 31st seed Sharkova in the first round.

(Text and editing by Wang Fei, photos by Visual China)