After ending her 2025 season early, Elina Svitolina stepped away from tournament tennis in September. This week’s ASB Classic marked the 31-year-old world No. 13’s return to the WTA stage, and she returned in style. Svitolina stormed to the final, captured her 19th title in 23 finals, and reinforced her elite pedigree, delivering a timely surge of momentum ahead of the AO.

Svitolina claimed the ASB Classic title on Sunday in Auckland. She defeated No. 7 seed Xinyu Wang 6-3, 7-6 (6) in 1 hour and 42 minutes. The win capped a dominant week and highlighted her impressive career winning percentage, just shy of 83%.

After the final showdown, emotion took over. She signed the TV camera with “I love it here,” and embraced her coach, Andrew Bettles. Svitolina then walked over to hug her husband, Gael Monfils. The moment between the couple quickly warmed hearts of her fandom. 

The Ukrainian has often credited the major chunk of her success to her husband. Last year, after beating Elena Rybakina in Madrid, Svitolina expressed her gratitude for the husband, and mentioned, “I feel like we are motivating each other, me and Gael. Keep pushing, keep trying to win matches, win titles. He won a title in Auckland and me last week in Rouen. We’re trying to keep up with each other and just trying to enjoy every opportunity that we have.”

Similarly, this year too, the power couple entered the ASB Classic with the motive of winning the title in Auckland. While Svitolina has won the finals, Monfils will face Fabian Marozsan in R32 on January 13.

Interestingly, Svitolina entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed. She was looking to reset after a difficult end to her 2025 season. Four straight losses and an injury had cut her year short following the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Her mission in Auckland was clear.

She delivered immediately. Svitolina turned a four-match losing streak into a five-match winning run to open 2026. Along the way, she showed composure, sharp movement, and renewed confidence in every round she played.

Her standout victories included a second-round win over former Top 30 player Katie Boulter. She then defeated rising star Iva Jovic in the semifinals. Jovic is expected to enter the Top 30 when the rankings update on Monday.

The toughest challenge came against Sonay Kartal. Svitolina was pushed to a deciding set tiebreak. She eventually prevailed 6-4, 6-7, 7-6. Her other wins over Varvara Gracheva, Boulter, and Jovic came in straight sets.

Svitolina is projected to rise to No. 12 in the WTA Rankings. The 250 points earned could be crucial with Australian Open quarterfinal points to defend. Since returning from maternity leave in 2023, she has played more aggressively. That mindset continues to fuel her push back toward the Top 10.

Elina Svitolina’s winning words following ASB Classic triumph

Elina Svitolina’s performance on Sunday was dominant, especially on serve. She faced four break points during the match and saved all of them. The Ukrainian won 74% of her first-serve points and rarely allowed Xinyu Wang any momentum.

On return, Svitolina struck at the right moment. She broke Wang to take a 4–2 lead in the opening set. That single break proved decisive, as she closed the set in just over thirty minutes with calm authority.

The second set was tighter and went to a tiebreak. There were no service breaks from either player. Svitolina stayed composed under pressure and sealed the match in straight sets, completing a controlled and efficient victory.

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After the match, Svitolina reflected on her journey. “Definitely feels amazing to win another title, especially after not a very pleasant end of last year for me. But you know, that break really helped me to regroup and come back with renewed energy, and very happy that I got the title here. I was in different situations in my career, but this one is very special because my husband won it last year,” she added.

She also shared words from her husband before the final. “This year, he told me, ‘If you don’t win this year, I don’t know what to tell you anymore’. But yeah, it was a very enjoyable week for me here, and I want to thank everybody for making it special.”

Despite the loss, Wang leaves Auckland with positives. She showed resilience throughout the week and played with confidence in pressure moments. The final marked her second career appearance at this stage.

Wang recovered well after losing her opening set of the tournament to Caty McNally. She went on a strong run, including a semifinal victory over fan favorite Alexandra Eala.

Her performance will be rewarded in the rankings. Wang is set to return to the Top 50 at No. 43 on Monday, up from No. 57. 

Meanwhile, Svitolina now turns her focus to Melbourne, carrying momentum into the Australian Open.