Elina Svitolina defeated Wang Xinyu to claim her first WTA title of the year at the ASB Classic.
Svitolina also beat Katie Boulter, Iva Jovic, and Sonay Kartal to claim the title in Auckland, which was her first since winning the Open de Rouen in 2025.
The Ukrainian star closed the gap on the WTA Tour top 10 after the victory, and she currently sits at world number 12.
After the match, Svitolina explained that her husband Gael Monfils made a demand ahead of the Auckland event.
Gael Monfils demanded Elina Svitolina that win the ASB Classic
Monfils, who will perform in his final season in 2026, won the ASB Classic last year after defeating Zizou Bergs in the final.
Svitolina confirmed that Monfils jokingly demanded that she follow in his footsteps by lifting the trophy in 2026.
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After her victory, she said on-court: “It definitely feels amazing to win another title, especially after a not very pleasant end of year.
“That break really helped me to re-group and come back with a new energy I’m very happy that I got the title here. This one was very special, because my husband won it last year.
“This year he told me ‘If you don’t win this year, I don’t know what to tell you anymore’. It was a really enjoyable week for me here.”
Svitolina will now take a week’s preparation ahead of the Australian Open, which begins on Sunday, 18 January.
Elina Svitolina breaks six-year streak after winning the ASB Classic
Svitolina has been ever-present on the WTA Tour for over a decade, but this is just the second time she has won a tournament in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
The star’s victory at the ASB Classic was the first time she’s won a January tournament since her win at the 2018 Brisbane International.
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She defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich, and dropped just three games, to lift the WTA 250 tournament in 2018.
Svitolina reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open that year, so she will be hoping to emulate that feat too.
