Match Report | WTA Auckland: Wang Xinyu Advances to Semifinals Thanks to Opponent’s Retirement in Season’s First Week

On January 9th morning, 2026 WTA250 Auckland brought good news as Chinese player Wang Xinyu advanced to the women’s singles semifinals after British opponent F. Jones retired while trailing 6-4, 4-3, 30-0 in the quarterfinal match, becoming the tournament’s first female semifinalist.

Wang Xinyu

Wang Xinyu finished last season on a six-match losing streak in singles, but she has started this season showing impressive spirit and form. Seeded seventh, she opened with a comeback win against American McNally, then defeated the tough-playing Zarazua in straight sets in the second round. In the quarterfinal, Wang faced British player F. Jones, a determined competitor born with ectodermal dysplasia, resulting in only four fingers on each hand and fewer toes than average. Remarkably, Jones upset the tournament’s second seed Navarro in the first round.

In this match, Wang broke serve in the opening game and, despite being broken back in a 5-2 service game with a chance to close, she took the first set 6-4. The second set was more tightly contested, with Wang maintaining a one-break lead throughout. Although the match did not conclude on court, it had already lasted 1 hour and 42 minutes.

“First, I hope Francesca recovers quickly before her next match. It’s unfortunate to end the match this way, but I’m pleased with my performance this week,” said Wang. Auckland was sunny today, and during the match Wang wore sunglasses. In a post-match interview, she explained, “The sunglasses weren’t mine. When I put them on, they only covered the upper part of my face, and I could still see the sunlight below.”

This marks Wang Xinyu’s 10th career semifinal appearance on the tour. After earning 98 ranking points and $12,331 in prize money, her ranking has risen to No. 51. Her semifinal opponent will be decided between the 4th seed Ella and 5th seed Rinette.

Later today, the Chinese doubles team of Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan will compete for a spot in the women’s doubles final against Ella/Jovic, who advanced yesterday by walkover. In the bottom half, the second seeds Guo Hanyu and Meladze advanced directly to the final after their semifinal opponents withdrew following a quarterfinal win. There is a strong possibility that the two Chinese pairs will face each other in a derby in the season’s first-week final.

(Text and editing: Dato; Photos: Visual China)