WTA 250 Auckland: Mladenovic advances to second round of qualifiers, Ponchet and Monnet eliminated

Three were dreaming of Auckland, but only one held strong. Between rebirth and disappointments, the New Zealand qualifiers delivered their share of emotions.

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 03/01/2026 à 08h15

1 min to read

Auckland Friedsam Anna-Lena Mladenovic Kristina Monnet Carole Ponchet Jessika Quevedo Kaitlin Starodubtseva Yuliia

Three French players were entered in the qualifying rounds in Auckland. In the New Zealand city, the goal is clear: to join Varvara Gracheva, the only tricolor player assured of participating in the tournament.

Dropped to 934th place, Kristina Mladenovic has gotten off to a good start in her 2026 season. The 32-year-old player, invited by the organization, thus dominated Anna-Lena Friedsam (7-6, 6-4 in 1h52).

One out of three for the French women this Saturday in Auckland

She will face Sinja Kraus, world No. 110, for a spot in the main draw. The Austrian dominated Anastasija Sevastova (6-4, 6-7, 6-3). On the other hand, it's over for Jessika Ponchet and Carole Monnet.

The first was beaten by Yuliia Starodubtseva (6-3, 6-3), while the second fell to Kaitlin Quevedo (6-2, 6-7, 6-3). The Ukrainian will face Laura Pigossi or Lilli Tagger, and the Spaniard will be opposed to Ku Yeonwoo.