Hurkacz Continues Winning Ways In Auckland

Sixth seed Hubert Hurkacz picked up where he left off at the ATP Cup, advancing to the second round on Monday of the ASB Classic in Auckland with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

The Pole required just a single break of serve in each set and saved all four break points to advance in one hour and 47 minutes. Hurkacz went 3-0 in Group E singles play last week in Sydney, defeating a trio of higher-ranked opponents in Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman and Borna Coric. He awaits the winner of American Frances Tiafoe and Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer.

American Tennys Sandgren opened his title defence in style with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Kiwi wild card Michael Venus. Sandgren, who captured his maiden ATP Tour crown 12 months ago in Auckland (d. Norrie), picked up his first tour-level win since last year’s US Open. The 28-year-old will now have an all-American clash with fourth seed and two-time Auckland champion John Isner.

Brazilian Thiago Monteiro rallied from a 2-4 deficit in the opening set en route to a 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over Brit Cameron Norrie, last year’s runner-up at this event. He’ll play the winner of the night session match pitting fifth-seeded Frenchman Benoit Paire against #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner. The 18-year-old is playing his first tour-level match since prevailing on home soil in last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals (d. De Minaur).