Svitolina Sets Up Exciting Gauff Final Clash In Auckland After Beating Wang

| by Erik Virostko

Elina Svitolina had to work hard for her semifinal win at the 2024 ASB Classic in Auckland, as Xiyu Wang proved to be a real challenge.

Playing in her 45th WTA Tour-level semifinal, the Ukrainian player certainly knew that this is the stage of a tournament where she often struggles, as she won only 20 of the previous 44 semifinal matches in her career.

The important thing for her was the fact that her opponent was much less experienced and played only her fifth Tour-level final, having lost three of the previous four. In the final, Coco Gauff already awaited the winner of this clash.

But in the first set of the match, Wang's inexperience barely showed. She was the better player throughout the match, and troubled her opponent especially when returning, breaking three out of her four serves in the opener.

As a result, the Chinese player won the opening set 6-2, and she did not want to stop in the second set, creating a break point chance already in the first game of the second set.

Rybakina Reaches First Final Of 2024 After Beating Teenage Prodigy In Brisbane
Rybakina Reaches First Final Of 2024 After Beating Teenage Prodigy In Brisbane

But that's when Svitolina stepped up. She improved significantly on her serve, and suddenly, she did not give away any break points. On the other hand, she created her only break point chance in the tenth game of the second set, and she used it to win the set 6-4.

After that, the third set was an easy one for the Ukrainian. After two breaks, she led already 5-1, and despite losing one of the breaks, she had no troubles winning the match 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the 2024 ASB Classic final.

In the final match, she'll take on Gauff in a clash of two top seeds at the tournament. And it will be a real challenge for the young American, because while the Ukrainian won only 21 out of her 45 semifinal matches, she won 17 out of 20 finals. Speaking after the match, Svitolina stayed really positive.

"It was really difficult today for me. I had really tough matches in the first three rounds. Finishing yesterday last night, going to bed at 2 a.m. It was not easy, but I tried to push myself. I played like there’s no tomorrow. I just tried to fight and give everything for this win today."

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