Patience + persistence = ultimate victory! Wang Xinyu reaches the Australian Open round of 32 for the first time

On January 22nd, the second round of the 2026 Australian Open singles saw fierce competition as Chinese player Wang Xinyu took on former French Open champion and 24th seed Ostapenko. Wang came from behind to win 4-6/6-4/6-4, reaching the Australian Open women’s singles round of 32 for the first time in her career. Her next opponent will be the 13th seed Noskova.

Ostapenko started strong with powerful attacks and stable serving, using wide angles to move Wang Xinyu around the court. Wang struggled to find a way to break through and quickly lost the first set 4-6. At 2-4 in the second set, Ostapenko’s serve wavered, allowing Wang to seize momentum and win four consecutive games to take the set 6-4, leveling the match.

Wang Xinyu

Ostapenko

In the third set, Ostapenko continued to apply significant pressure, even holding three consecutive break points. However, Wang fought hard to hold her serve. Perhaps affected psychologically by losing the second set, Ostapenko’s unforced errors increased and her second serve lost power. Wang adjusted her game, maintaining consistency while attacking more aggressively, securing a crucial break in the eighth game to lead 5-3.

Although Wang’s match point serve was broken, her patience and persistence paid off once again. Ostapenko made consecutive errors in a critical service game she needed to hold, allowing Wang to break serve a second time and win the final set 6-4 to advance to the third round. This comeback victory marks Wang Xinyu’s first time reaching the Australian Open third round, setting a new personal best. She has now reached the round of 32 or better in all four Grand Slams (2026 Australian Open round of 32, 2023-24 French Open round of 32, 2024 Wimbledon round of 16, 2023 US Open round of 16). Including the Auckland final, Wang has had an excellent start to the new season.

In other results, Chinese player Zhang Shuai paired with Pütz in mixed doubles, defeating the Melichar/Branbry duo 6-4/7-6(3), continuing their winning streak in doubles. The veteran, who just celebrated her 37th birthday, continues to demonstrate passion and perseverance through her performance. Chinese player Shang Juncheng was defeated 6-7/2-6/3-6 by Van De Zandschulp in the second round, but as long as he stays healthy, Shang still has strong potential to compete.

(Written and edited by: Sunny)