AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Top-seeded Elina Svitolina will play in the final of the WTA Tour event in Auckland for the second time after beating American teenager Iva Jovic 7-6 (5), 6-2 in a semifinal Saturday.

The 13th-ranked Svitolina also reached the final in 2024 when she lost to American Coco Gauff.

Svitolina's opponent in Sunday's final will be seventh-seeded Wang Xinju of China, who beat fourth-seeded Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 in the other semifinal.

Svitolina looked a little weary at first Saturday after an almost three-hour quarterfinal against Sonay Katal on Friday night, which she won 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5).

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Top-seeded Eina Svitolina produced another gritty performance Friday to beat Sonay Kartal in three sets and to reach the semifinals of the WTA Tour stop in Auckland.

Svitolina, ranked 13, trailed 5-3 in the third set before rallying to beat Kartal 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5).

Kartal had the upper hand for most of the match but Svitolina produced another superb defensive performance to stay in the match and clinch victory on her second match point.

“There's still a lot of adrenaline after that last set and the tiebreaker which is always very difficult and challenging,” said Svitolina, who was runner-up in Auckland in 2024. “All the credit to Sonay, she played incredible and I think she deserved even more than me to win today.”

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tennis Kenya acknowledged it erred in granting an Egyptian player entry to a professional tournament after video of her dismal performance that included 20 double faults circulated on social media.

The 21-year-old player, Hajar Abdelkader, was given a wildcard entry and lost 6-0, 6-0 in 37 minutes in a first-round match that raised questions about her level of play. She struggled with serving and court positioning.

Tennis Kenya, the governing body for the sport in the east African country, is hosting the International Tennis Federation’s W35 tournament this week.

“In hindsight, Tennis Kenya acknowledges that this wildcard should not have been granted. The federation has taken note of this experience and will ensure that such an extremely rare occurrence never happens again," it said in a statement Thursday.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Top-seeded Elina Svitolina again relied on her “fighting spirit” Thursday, beating wild-card entry Katie Boulter 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.

Both players struggled on serve in windy conditions on center court. There were nine service breaks in the match, which the No. 13-ranked Svitolina clinched on her third match point.

“Katie is a great fighter so I was expecting a tough match,” Svitolina said. “She can strike the ball very well, as she did today, and it was not an easy match for us with the wind swirling around.”

Svitolina dropped her serve in the third game, immediately broke back but was broken again in the ninth. She won some exceptional clutch points to break Boulter again and take the first set.