On January 16th, the second round of the Australian Open women's singles continued. In a match at Margaret Court Arena, Wang Xiyu faced off against the No. 8 seed Navarro. The match went the full three sets, with Wang Xiyu failing to capitalize on her 4-2 lead in the decisive set, ultimately losing 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 to Navarro and missing out on her first appearance in the Australian Open Round of 32. With Wang Xiyu's elimination, all Chinese players have been knocked out of the singles competition at this year's Australian Open.
Player Profiles:
Navarro is currently ranked 8th in the world, with her best Grand Slam result being the quarterfinals at last year's US Open, and her best Australian Open result being the third round last year.
Wang Xiyu is ranked 108th in the world, with her best Grand Slam result being the third round at the 2022 US Open, and her best Australian Open result being the second round in 2022.
Head-to-Head Record:
The two players had only met once before, in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open, where Wang Xiyu fought hard for three sets but lost 1-6, 7-6, 5-7, unfortunately suffering a first-round exit.
Match Recap:
In the first set, both players engaged in a battle of breaks, with the first four games seeing them break each other's serve. In the crucial eighth game, Wang Xiyu lost her serve, and Navarro subsequently held her serve to win the set, with Wang Xiyu losing the first set 3-6.
In the second set, Wang Xiyu broke serve in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. In the seventh game, Navarro successfully broke back, bringing the score to 3-4. Wang Xiyu then broke and held serve to drag the match into the deciding set with a 6-3 victory.
In the decisive set, Wang Xiyu started strong with a break and hold to take a 2-0 lead. In the fourth game, Navarro broke back, leveling the score at 2-2. In the fifth game, Wang Xiyu completed another break to regain the lead at 3-2. In the eighth game, Wang Xiyu lost her serve, and the score was tied at 4-4. In the tenth game, Wang Xiyu was broken in a must-hold situation, losing the decisive set 4-6.
Next Round Opponent:
Navarro, who successfully advanced to the Round of 32, will face three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur in the next round.