Oakland Marathon Night: Wang Xinyu and Svitolina Reach the Final After a Night of Endless Rallies

Semifinal Night: A Marathon in Oakland

Oakland lived up to its nickname as the two semifinals stretched to a combined four hours and twenty-two minutes, finishing around 10:30 pm local time.

Wang Xinyu, the seventh seed, battled a 4th-seeded Alexandra Eala in a three-set thriller, overturning the first set 5-7 and saving a match point in the second before sealing it 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 after nearly three hours.

After the match, Wang said it was a crazy battle from start to finish and that Eala is a true fighter. She added she felt more pressure when leading 5-0 than at the start and was thrilled to reach her first Oakland final.

This was Wang's second final of her professional career, following last year's Berlin final.

The second semifinal featured top seed Elina Svitolina against 18-year-old Eva Jovic, delivering drama, especially in the first set as Jovic jumped ahead 3-0 before Svitolina rallied to win it in a tiebreak. In the second, Svitolina controlled play, taking it 7-6, 6-2 in 1 hour 34 minutes to set up the final.

Despite the loss, Jovic earned praise from Svitolina, who noted they trained together before the tournament and predicted a bright future with many titles to come. This marks Svitolina's second Oakland final (after 2024); Wimbledon 2024 was the first meeting between her and Wang.

This Sunday’s final will pair these two veterans in a showdown that promises more dramatic rallies and perhaps a few more moments of perfectly timed acrobatics from the ball.

Punchline 1: If endurance were a weapon, these two matches would win a marathon medal—and the gym membership too.

Punchline 2: In Oakland, even the scoreboard needed a nap after those rallies; apparently, it runs on adrenaline and espresso now.