Xinyu Wang showcased her strength in the first round of the Cluj-Napoca 2026 tournament, decisively defeating Kaitlin Quevedo with a score of 6-3, 6-0 in just one hour. Ranked 33rd in the world, Wang utilized her dominant baseline game to overwhelm Quevedo, who had come off a successful qualifying campaign but found it challenging to maintain her performance against a top-35 player.
This victory underscores Wang’s strong form at the start of the 2026 hard-court season. Recently, she reached the Eighth-Final at the Australian Open, achieving notable victories over Jelena Ostapenko and Linda Noskova before losing to Amanda Anisimova. Wang’s proficiency in comfortably dispatching lower-ranked opponents was evident in her earlier straight-sets win against Talia Gibson this January.
For Quevedo, the defeat ends a promising streak marked by her earlier wins against Iryna Shymanovich and Alina Charaeva in qualifying. Although the World No. 134 had previously upset Peyton Stearns this year, she struggled to compete at Wang’s level, leading to her first bagel set loss of the 2026 season.
Looking ahead, Wang aims to continue her momentum, reminiscent of her semi-final performance in mid-January against Alexandra Eala. With a strong record on hard courts so far this year, she positions herself as a serious contender in the current draw, while Quevedo will need to regroup and reassess after facing one of the top players in the sport. Wang’s victory not only reinforces her capabilities but also serves as a reminder of the competitive nature of women’s tennis, where breakthroughs and setbacks often shape the journey of rising stars.