Wang Xinyu credits a miraculous assist for her comeback to the final, with the championship clash against Svitolina now scheduled.

How to summarize the intense Asian youth duel between Wang Xinyu and Iera in one sentence after it ended? The Chinese No. 2 simply said, "It was a crazy fight."

Reaching the semifinals in her first tour event of the new season, and facing Southeast Asia’s top player Iera, illustrates how closely watched Wang Xinyu’s match was.

An interesting aspect of this key battle was that the bookmakers adjusted the odds twice, which subtly increased external concerns about Wang Xinyu.

When Wang Xinyu and Iera met in the semifinals, the initial odds were 2.1 to 1 for Wang and 1.73 to 1 for the Filipino player, but these later shifted to 2.5 for Wang and 1.53 for Iera.

The odds kept shifting against Wang Xinyu, causing fans and netizens to worry whether the Chinese No. 2 could overcome Iera at this tenth semifinal appearance on the tour and get closer to the championship trophy.

Especially after Wang led 5-1 in the first set but then unexpectedly lost 5-7, many doubted her chances, seeing the comeback by Iera as a sign of instability.

Many fans and viewers in the live chat bluntly said that losing such a big lead showed she couldn’t seize the opportunity given by fate, and even if she was stopped from reaching the final by Iera, there was no reason to complain.

Even though Wang won the second set 7-5 after a tough battle, considering her unstable performance at critical moments and the unpredictability of her play, many still thought her chances to beat Iera were slim.

Some even joked harshly that Wang’s comeback only delayed the inevitable, making the match end a bit slower but not changing the final outcome.

This pessimism seemed to fuel Wang Xinyu. In the deciding set, she started with overwhelming momentum, winning four consecutive games and astonishing everyone.

This time Wang avoided repeating the first set’s collapse, resisting Iera’s comeback efforts and ultimately closing out the final set 6-4 to complete a stunning comeback and reach the final, much to her supporters’ relief.

Thanks to this victory over Iera, Wang not only returned to the top 50 rankings but also achieved a career milestone: reaching her first hard-court tour final.

After the match, Wang admitted, "It was truly a crazy battle," perfectly summarizing the collapse, chase, and comeback filled with tension and excitement in one sentence.

When explaining how she managed to hold on and turn things around after the first set collapse, Wang credited a "nail file handed by the audience" as her secret weapon, saying this kind gesture during the medical timeout helped her relax and was crucial to her comeback.

Having endured such a tough situation and pulled off a morale-boosting comeback, fans have already sent Wang messages like, "The championship is just ahead, go for it!"

However, if Wang Xinyu hopes to claim her first title of the new season and her career’s first tour championship, she will need to work even harder because her final opponent is very strong.

Ukrainian star Svitolina, after overcoming a difficult 0-3 deficit in the first set against American Jovic and winning the set in a thrilling tiebreak, dominated the second set 6-2 to become Wang’s opponent in the final.

Most now see Wang’s match against Svitolina as another tough and demanding battle. Given Svitolina’s strong form in the semifinal, it naturally raises the challenge for China’s No. 2 to claim the title.

If Wang wants to defeat Svitolina and lift her first career trophy, she must significantly raise her level and avoid the kind of inconsistency she showed against Iera; otherwise, the advantage will quickly shift to the Ukrainian, making the outcome predictable.

The final showdown between Wang Xinyu and Svitolina is set for 12 noon Beijing time on January 11. Fans eagerly await to see what form Wang will bring in her quest for her first career title, and whether she can upset the top seed and take home the trophy.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)