Mexican Renata Zarazua achieved a well-deserved victory, her first of 2026, at the Auckland tournament in New Zealand, defeating American Sloane Stephens in three sets, 7-5, 4-6, and 6-2, a result that allowed her to advance to the second round of the tournament.

The match was one of the most exciting of the day, with Zarazua playing solidly from the baseline and able to withstand the pressure from an opponent with experience in the biggest events on the world tennis calendar.

Zarazua's Second Victory Against a Grand Slam Champion

With this victory, Renata Zarazua achieved her second win against a Grand Slam champion, after having defeated Madison Keys last August on clay. This time, the victim was Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion. This was also the second time the Mexican player has defeated Stephens, the previous encounter being in Acapulco in 2020, confirming that Zarazua knows how to compete against high-caliber opponents. A demanding match that went to three sets. The match lasted two and a half hours, during which Zarazua managed to contain the American's comeback attempt, who raised her level in the second set to level the score. However, in the decisive set, the Mexican tennis player, ranked 77th in the WTA rankings, showed greater consistency, precision, and mental strength to close out the match decisively and secure her place in the next round of the tournament. Next challenge: Xinyu Wang in the second round. In the second round of the Auckland tournament, Renata Zarazua She will face China's Xinyu Wang, the tournament's seventh seed, who advanced after coming back to defeat American Caty McNally 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. The match represents a new test for Zarazua, who is looking to consolidate her strong start to the season and gain key WTA ranking points in a year that is beginning with encouraging results for Mexican tennis.