ASB Classic: Number one seed Svitolina fends off Jovic as Eala squanders match point against resilient Wang in two thrillers

The 2026 ASB Classic has its two finalists, with the number one seed Elina Svitolina set to take on China's Xinyu Wang after young talents Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala both faltered at the semi-final stage in Auckland.

It had been a dramatic week of action in New Zealand, with a mix of experience and youth taking to the stage as they target glory. It proves to be a great competition to compete in with the high calibre matchups great preparation for the upcoming Australian Open, where deep runs and big results are rewarded hugely, and can also be life changing.

With all the twists and turns, Svitolina still managed to find a pathway to the final. The 2024 runner-up will be hoping for the same events not to crop up once more after she picked up a hard-fought 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over 18-year-old Jovic.

There was a 13-year age gap between the duo. It was the youthful energetic Jovic who exploded out of the blocks, breaking twice as she stormed into an imperious 3-0 lead. Her double-break advantage would not last long as Svitolina won the next eight points to bring herself back in contention. The American missed two break points to go 5-3 ahead, with the 31-year-old not making any mistakes to level the tie. Jovic then broke as she looked to serve out the first set, but Svitolina's response was more than adequate. She broke to love as the contest eventually reached a tiebreak. The Ukrainian went into a 6-1 lead and gave herself five set points. In the end, it turned out that she needed all of them, eventually wrapping up with her fifth and final chance.

After Jovic's fast start in the first set, Svitolina was not going to let events repeat themselves. She won five games on the bounce which included an ominous double break to move into a 5-1 lead. Jovic ended the drought but was in need to be immaculate for the rest of the match to stay in contention. This was not the case, and Svitolina took her first match point to make it to a second final in Auckland.

“We practiced together before the tournament, so I knew what to expect from her,” Svitolina said in her on-court interview, singing her opponents praises. “Even then, she’s really surprised me with the way she’s striking the ball and moving really well. Many, many more titles for her to come, definitely in the future.”

One of the brightest talents on the WTA Tour, Eala was looking to win another title for the Philippines after making countless amount of history in 2025. However, she was defeated 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 by Wang in a dramatic match which proved to be thoroughly entertaining for the spectators.

It was a match that took nearly three hours, but it could have been a lot shorter if looking deeper into the match. Wang was looking in tip top condition, breaking twice enroute to a 4-0 lead. Eala got on the board before spurning three break points as the Chinese number two took a 5-1 lead.

It looked like a formality that Wang would get the first set, but this would not be the case. In her position, she did not even get a set point let alone win it as Eala incredibly won six games on the bounce to take the first set.

The momentum turned once again as Wang started the quicker in the second set, going 2-0 up before Eala got level at 3-3. She then broke to go 5-3 ahead as she served for the match. She missed a crucial match point to send her through to the final as Wang broke instantly back. She then won the next three games to compound the 20-year-old's misery and force a deciding set.

Eala could have been off the court celebrating another final, but instead she was heavily under the cosh after going 4-0 down in the third set, It was seven games on the spin for Wang as she looked like it would be a routing to complete this match. However, Eala showed great mentality and perseverance to claw her way back into it. At 5-1 down, she got one of the breaks back. Nevertheless, it was too much of an uphill task as Wang took her first and only match point to send her through to her second WTA final.

“It was a crazy battle from the start to the end, for sure,” Wang commented after the match. “She’s an absolute fighter, and to be honest, I feel more pressure when I’m up 5-0 than when we were love-love. I’m just really happy that I got through this one today and through to my first ever final (here).”

Svitolina and Wang are set to battle it out for the title in Auckland, with it taking place on January 11.