The 31-year-old Svitolina claimed her 19th career title, improving her record in the WTA Tour finals to a robust 19-4 — a winning percentage just shy of 83%.
Svitolina entered the tournament as the No 1 seed and looking to reset after her 2025 season ended with four straight losses and an injury that cut her year short following the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
She turned that four-match skid into a five-match winning streak to open the year, highlighted by victories over former top-30 player Katie Boulter in the second round and soon-to-be top-30 player Iva Jovic in the semifinals.
Svitolina is projected to rise one spot to No 12 in the PIF WTA rankings as she continues to push towards a top-10 return.
If she maintains this level, a deep run in the Australian Open is well within reach.
Her performance yesterday was more than enough to overpower Wang, particularly on serve.
The Ukrainian faced four break points, saved them all and won 74% of her first-serve points.
On return, she broke Wang for a 4-2 lead and closed out the opening set in just over half an hour.
It proved to be the only break she needed — and the only break of the match, as Svitolina sealed her straight-sets victory in a second-set tiebreak.
Despite the loss, Wang leaves Auckland with plenty to build on and a significant rankings boost.
After dropping her opening set of the week to Caty McNally, she rebounded to reach her second career final, a run that included a semifinal win over fan-favourite Alexandra Eala.
Wang will return to the top 50 at No 43, up from No57 to start the week.
— Hanyu and Mladenovic capped a successful first week together as a partnership by claiming the women’s doubles title, defeating Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan 7-6 (7).
The doubles victory marked an ideal start to the season for the new pairing, who had come into the Auckland tournament focused simply on gaining match time together.
After a tight battle in the first set, which culminated in a tiebreaker that could have gone either way, Gou, of China, and France’s Mladenovic stayed in control of the second set, playing like a seasoned pairing, rather than one that had just come together.
Mladenovic said the plan for the week had been straightforward and expectations were kept deliberately modest.
"The plan was to have as many matches as possible together, as it’s our first time playing together, first week of the season as well," she said.
"It couldn’t be better than holding the trophy, right?"
For the French player, the title carried added significance after a challenging 2025 season hampered by injury issues.
She described the week in Auckland as a reminder of why she continued to play the sport.
"It means the world to me," Mladenovic said.
"Honestly, during last year, I was really struggling with my body.
"I wasn’t sure if we would find a solution to be back and healthy.
"I truly mean it, I’m enjoying every single minute I’m spending on the court.
"It doesn’t matter if it’s practice, singles, doubles with Hanyu, it means the world to me," Mladenovic said.
"I love tennis so much, and I’m looking forward to this season."
Mladenovic also spoke warmly about her new partner, saying the enjoyment they found in playing together was central to their success during the week.
"Most importantly, I enjoyed so much playing with Hanyu," she said.
"I love her game. She’s an amazing player, but also a person. I have so much fun, and I’m so excited for what’s next with her."
For Gou, the focus now shifts quickly to Melbourne and the Australian Open, the Chinese player keen to carry the momentum forward while keeping perspective.
"Just really looking forward to it," Gou said.
"No matter if we do good or bad, I think we just stay on the court and try for every point, and enjoy that."
— Allied Media
