Despite a breakout run on grass last year and a seeding beside her name this week, Wang Xinyu has been slightly under the radar at the ASB Classic, something that can happen to her when she’s playing outside of China.
The seventh seed has reached the quarterfinals, where she will face Britain’s Francesca Jones on Friday, a timely response to a difficult end to her 2025 season
Those earlier wins at the ASB Classic, over Caty McNally in the first round and Renata Zarazúa in the second, have quietly put Wang into the last eight without much noise around her name.
Eagle-eyed New Zealand tennis fans may have known Wang from when she played against Lulu Sun in the second round of Juniors at Wimbledon in 2019, although to be fair Wang says she barely remembers that match, which she won.
For Wang, going under the radar in some parts of the world is something she has grown comfortable with, particularly outside China.
However, she is making an impression at this ASB Classic.
“I’ve played two tough matches, so I’m really happy to get through the quarterfinals and to have a chance to play another match in front of Australian Open,” Wang said.
“Also, I wasn’t playing well at the end of last season, so I’m just really happy to get back my rhythm.”
The end of 2025 was difficult, with Wang losing her final six matches of the year, a stretch she said was shaped by pressure as much as form.
After strong performances during the grass and US hard-court seasons, the return to Asia brought heightened expectations.
“I was playing really good during the grass season, and was also playing well during the US season,” she said. “So coming back to Asia, especially playing in China, that puts a lot of expectations on myself.”
Wang went on an incredible run at the WTA 500 grass court tournament in Berlin last year, where she came through qualifying to make it to the final, defeating Coco Gauff, Paula Badosa and Daria Kasatkina along the way.
It was a tournament where she surprised even herself with how she played.
“I think I was playing more freely on court,” she said.
“Also I was playing really great players, a lot of top 20, top 10 players there. So I was just going out there and and trying to enjoy it, and I loved how I played that way.”
Auckland was a deliberate choice. Wang last competed at the tournament two years ago and said the memory of a well-run event, and the city itself, helped draw her back.
“I remembered it’s really nice tournament here, very well organised,” she said. “I like the city, you have lots of great Asian food here.”
That earlier appearance also came with some confusion, as Wang was drawn against the similarly named Chinese player Wang Xiyu, an issue she said is more pronounced outside China.
“I would say now it’s getting better,” she said. “Because I keep saying everyone can call me Gina.”
While Wang may still sit slightly under the radar in the English-speaking tennis world, she is aware of the attention she receives back home and views it positively.
“I look at it on the more positive side,” she said. “I’m getting a lot of attention from my own country, China, which is great.”
Wang’s clash with Jones is the first match on Centre Court on Friday. It is followed by the all-seeded battle between Magda Linette and Alexandra Eala, with the contest between Iva Jovic and Sofia Costoulas completing the day session.
The evening kicks of with the match between Elina Svitolina and Sonny Kartal, which is followed by a doubles quarterfinal that features Eala and Jovic against Yang Zhaoxuan and Xu Yifan.