Elina Svitolina claimed her 19th WTA Tour title on Sunday, defeating China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3, 7-6 (8) in the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland, as she gathered momentum ahead of the Australian Open.
The top seed, ranked 13th in the world, sealed the victory after one hour and 42 minutes, marking her 19th title from 24 finals. The triumph came a year after she finished runner-up at the same tournament, losing a three-set final to Coco Gauff in 2024.
Svitolina, who had taken a mental health break at the end of the 2025 season, returned to competitive action in Auckland, her first tournament since stepping away from the tour in September. She will now travel to Melbourne, where she is scheduled to play an exhibition match against world No. 4 Amanda Anisimova of the United States on Wednesday.
“It definitely feels amazing to win another title, especially after a not very pleasant end of year for me,” Svitolina said. “But that break really helped me to regroup and come back with a new energy and I'm very happy that I got a title here.
“This one was very special because, obviously, my husband won here last year and this year he told me if you don't win this year I don't know what to tell you anymore.”
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Svitolina was supported courtside throughout the week by her husband Gael Monfils, who lifted the men’s singles title in Auckland last year and begins his title defence on Monday.
The Ukrainian weathered early pressure, saving a break point in her opening service game, before converting her first break opportunity in the sixth game of the opening set. She then held serve twice to close out the set in just over 30 minutes.
Wang, a former Grand Slam doubles champion, responded strongly in the second set, using sharp drop shots and powerful groundstrokes to keep Svitolina under pressure. After surviving break points midway through the set, the 23-year-old moved ahead 5-4, forcing the match into a tense tie-break.
The tie-break swung repeatedly, with Wang saving one championship point before Svitolina claimed a crucial mini-break and sealed the contest on her second match point.
The final marked Wang’s first appearance in a WTA Tour final.
“I want to say thankyou to my team,” Wang said. “I've had some injuries in the past year and sometimes the most important thing is the people around here. I'm very happy to start my 2026 like this.”
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