Published from ASB Classic

American teenager Coco Gauff has become just the 10th woman to defend their title at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

In winning her way to her eighth WTA final, the 19-year-old equalled the most wins among American teenagers along with Serena Williams in the last 25 years.

Gauff was made to work hard with a 6-7 6-3 6-3 victory over the remarkable Ukrainian player, Elina Svitolina, who battled a myriad of injuries to put up a mammoth fight.

“It was not my best level of play but sometimes when you are not at your best and you win, it makes you more satisfied,” said Gauff.

“It gives me a lot of confidence beating Elina. It was cool seeing how I handled the pressure especially after losing the first set. I was proud of the mental fight I showed today.

“The biggest thing I learned in winning a slam is that you are going to have to win one of those matches with not playing your best. This week I did that.

“This gives me a lot of confidence looking towards Melbourne. After winning a Slam it is important to be able to reach up again. Being the No. 1 seed, everyone expects you to win which is something I had to adjust to mentally.

“It was great playing in the sunshine and I think the fans enjoyed it too. Women’s tennis is thriving and it can only go upwards. From the first day to the last, the crowds came and I hope that continues.”

Svitolina, last year’s comeback player of the year after two years out with the birth of her daughter, won over many fans with her equal measures of talent and tenacity.

The victory over Emma Raducanu stands as the game of the tournament by some stretch, on top of the win over fellow super-mom, Caroline Wozniacki.

Svitolina said she drew inspiration rom the hoards of messages from friends and family back in Ukraine, who followed her performances despite their plight.

“I always remind myself that people right now, men and women, are fighting for our country and me, I am here in this safe place and this amazing opportunity to play in such a wonderful place and the sport that I love.

“These people who are fighting give me the inspiration and courage to show this unbreakable spirit which motived me to bring the best version of myself.”

Svitolina said she was pleased to have won through the week against such strong opposition, and with a few days’ recovery, believes she is in good space to perform well in Melbourne.

She will remain in Auckland for a few days to recover and support her husband, Gael Monfils, who begins his quest at the ASB Classic men’s tournament.

The women’s doubles honours went to Anna Danilina (KAZ) and Victoria Hruncakova (SVK) who prevailed over Marie Bouzkova (CZE) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 6-3 6-7 10-7.

Earlier the four qualifiers were found to round out the men’s draw which starts.

New Zealand’s Jack Loutit, on scholarship at the University of Kentucky, was edged by American teenager Alex Micheelsen 6-3 6-3 for a spot in the field. He had an opportunity leading 3-1 but could not convert as the American, who is already inside the world’s top 100, took control.

Joining him is world no. 85 ranked Alejandro (CHI), Frenchmen Alexandre Muller and Luca Van Assche.

Published from ASB Classic

Three Grand Slam tennis champions and a former world finals winner top the women’s final entries for the 2024 ASB Classic, confirmed today in Auckland.

The field is headed by world no. 3 Coco Gauff, who last year in Auckland won the minds with her performances on the court and hearts with her humanity off it. Still just 19 years, Gauff will defend her ASB Classic title when the women’s competition begins on 1 January at the ASB Arena.

Gauff went on from her Auckland success to push to her first Grand Slam title, fittingly on home turf at the US Open, with some remarkable displays.

She will be joined at the ASB Classic by the legendary Caroline Wozniacki, back to Auckland for a remarkable eighth time in her return to the game following time out for the birth of her daughter.

While the Danish star won the Australian Open in 2018 and the World Finals in 2016 among her 30 Titles, Wozniacki has been unable to claim the trophy at the ASB Arena in her seven previous attempts, twice making the final.

The mums are out in force at the ASB Classic, with Ukrainian Elina Svitolina choosing to compete in Auckland in her build-up for a return to the Australian Open, having taken more than a year out of the game with the birth of her daughter.

Svitolina, who had a career high No 3 in the world, has climbed more than 1000 spots to a world ranking of 25 in the few months she has been back in the game. The 2018 World Finals winner this year made the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and semifinals at Wimbledon.

“We are thrilled that Coco is returning to defend her title,” said ASB Classic Tournament Director, Nicolas Lamperin. “We all knew we were watching a young player of exceptional talent last year and she has gone on to prove that to the world this year.

“More than that, she touched the hearts of many off the court working with young kiwi players in South Auckland, and yet she is still a teenager and will continue to do great things on and off the court.

“We have two absolute superstar mothers in Caroline Wozniacki and Elina Svitolina. Their records speak for themselves and both have returned after birth of their children to already show they are still world class.”

Lamperin has awarded three high-profile wildcards, headed by Wozniacki, along with British player Emma Raducanu and American Amanda Anisimova, two young players who have faced the adversity of pressure and expectation after success as teenagers.

Like Gauff, a Slam winner at Flushing Meadows, Raducanu will re-start her career at the ASB Classic, after multiple injuries forced her to take a break from the game. Raducanu who won the US Open at just 19 as a qualifier and all in straight sets is returning to the Tour in full health and fitness and eager to start her journey back to the top.

Anisimova is a prodigious talent who quickly rose to No 21 in the world as a teenager. The American has faced challenges with the death of her father who was her coach and she took much of this year off citing mental health challenges.

After a spell at university, she returns to the ASB Classic where she reached the semifinal against  Serena Williams in 2020 and the quarterfinals in 2019. Anisimova is a two-time champion on the WTA Tour, winning titles in Bogota in 2019 and Melbourne in 2022. She also reached the semifinals at the French Open in 2019.

“Both of these players had remarkable success as teenagers and have both faced challenges since. They both have prodigious talent and both have returned still with a passion for the game and keen to re-find their way,” said Lamperin.

 “If we can help that progress with a wildcard entry for the ASB Classic, then it is the least we can do to play our part in the bigger picture of the welfare of our sport.”

There is significant depth in the women’s line-up which boasts 78 WTA career victories and includes both rising stars and proven performers.

That includes four-time winner Lesia Tsurenko from Ukraine, a long-time Fed Cup representative who will be the third seed ahead of American Emma Narvarro, a former Collegiate standout, who has jumped to 32 in the world rankings after two semifinals and two quarters in a moving year.

Watch too for the Chinese pair Xinyu Wang (right-hander) and Xiyu Wang (left-hander), who are not related, and ranked 36 and 72 in the world respectively.

“We see ourselves as a tournament that identifies and gives opportunity to young players on the rise, something this tournament is very proud of. Likewise we recognise those who continue to enjoy their time in Auckland and have supported us for many years, like Caroline who is back for the eighth time.”

There will be two New Zealand players given the chance to compete, with a qualifying tournament at the ASB Arena after Christmas, with qualifying to start on December 30  and the tournament-proper on January 1 to 7.

The ASB Men’s Classic will run from January 8-13, with Lamperin emphasising that ticket sales have been strong with several days already fully sold.

The full field is:

WOMEN

1. Coco Gauff (USA) World No 3, 2. Elina Svitolina (UKR) No 25, 3. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) No 31, 4. Emma Navarro (USA) No 32, 5. Marie Bouzkova (CZE) No 34, 6. Xinyu Wang (CHN) No 36, 7. Petra Martic (CRO) No 40, 8. Varvara Gracheva (FRA) No 43, 9. Anna Blinkova No 50, 10. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova No 57, 11. Magdalena Frech (POL) No 63, No 12. Rebecca Masarova (ESP) No 64, 13. Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) No 68, 14. Xiyu Wang (CHN) 71; 15. Elina Avanesyan No 74, 16. Yue Yuan (CHN) No 77, 17. Emina Bektas (USA) No 87, 18 Kayla Kay (USA) No 89, 19 Jaqueline Cristian (ROU) 91, 20. Linda Fruhvirtova (CZE) No 93, 21. Diane Parry (FRA) 94, 22. Claire Liu (USA) 99.

Wildcards

Emma Raducanu (GBR), Amanda Anisimova (USA), Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)

Tickets: asbclassic.flicket.co.nz

Published from ASB Classic

Tennis super-couple Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina have today confirmed they will compete at the ASB Classic in Auckland in January.

Monfils, the 37-year-old from France, is one of the most entertaining and enduring tennis players on the globe, rising to a career high sixth in the world on the back of 12 ATP titles.

Svitolina, who has climbed over 1000 spots to 25 in the world since returning to tennis following the birth of their daughter Skai, has won 17 WTA titles along with the Tour Finals title in 2018 and the Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo.

The ASB Classic will be the first time that the couple have played in the same tournament, outside of Majors or 1000-level tournaments, with Monfils returning to Auckland for a third occasion, and his wife venturing to New Zealand for the first time.

Monfils has twice played at the ASB Classic, losing to Alberto Martin in his early years on the ATP Tour, and making the semifinals 10 years ago. His first title was in Sopot, Poland in 2005 and his most recent was a brilliant comeback victory in Stockholm last month.

The Frenchman has battled injuries in recent years but the former world top ranked junior is looking to add to his 12 ATP titles. His durability is noted with a record of reaching at least one final in 19 straight seasons from 2005 to 2023. Before his Stockholm win, his previous best this season was the quarterfinal at the ATP 1000 in Canada where he lost in three sets to world #4 Jannick Sinner.

Monfils has won 540 career matches, and is often considered as the fastest player on Tour and a fan favourite.

His initial rise in the rankings was mercurial, jumping over 100 spots in three months at the start of 2005 and by the end of that year he had risen 190 places to the top-30. His best season was in 2016 when he won his first ATP 500 in Washington, reaching the final in Monte Carlo and the semifinal at the US Open. His efforts earned him qualification for the ATP Finals in London.

Svitolina, 29, had a career-high ranking of three in the world in 2017.

After being off the Tour for more than a year with the birth of her daughter, Svitolina returned eight  months ago. She showed her class in her return to the Majors this year – losing to current world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, beating top seed Iga Swiatek on way to the semifinals at Wimbledon and losing to American world #5 Jessica Pegula in the round of 32 at the US Open.

Svitolina recently won the WTA 250 Tour title in Strasbourg to move to 25 in the world after being ranked outside the Top 1000 just three months previous.

She studies business, economics and nutrition and speaks fluently in Ukrainian, English, Russian and French.

ASB Classic Tournament Director, Nicolas Lamperin said the tournament is excited to have attracted Monfils and Svitolina to Auckland.

“Gaël is an extraordinarily popular figure who has achieved so much on and off the court, while Elina is an absolute force in women’s tennis, and rapidly returning to her best form.”

Tickets sales have been strong for both weeks, with tickets available at www.asbclassic.co.nz

Published from ASB Classic

Eight is great for tennis Super Mum, Caroline Wozniacki, who today confirmed she will return to the ASB Classic in January.

The 33 year old, who played seven times in Auckland during her rise to No 1 in the world, is returning to the ASB Tennis Arena in her remarkable tennis comeback following the birth of her two children.

The Danish superstar, who began the sport when she was seven, retired in 2020 on the back of 30 singles titles and a total of 17 months as the best player in the world.

Wozniacki gave birth to Olivia and James in 2021 and 2022. In a desire to “get back in shape,” she picked up the racquet for exercise. She was amazed at her form in hit-ups, and decided to make a return to the sport in early August.

The Dane surprised many by winning through to the fourth round at the recent US Open, before losing to eventual winner and returning ASB Classic champion, Coco Gauff in the fourth round.

Now Wozniacki is targeting a second Grand Slam in Melbourne next January, and has not hesitated in her decision to come back to a popular home-away-from-home in Auckland.

“It is going to be my children’s first time there,” said Wozniacki. “It’s amazing that I can come back and prepare as well as I can for the Australian Open.

“I love the fans in Auckland. It is always such a great event. I have always had an amazing time there.

“I thought it was going to be the best place for my preparation and the best place for my family to come and start the new season.”

Wozniacki has one desire in Auckland, to win the ASB Classic after finishing runner-up to Venus Williams in 2015 and Julia Goerges in 2018, along with semifinal loses to Jessica Pegula 2020 and Sloane Stephens in 2016.

ASB Classic Tournament Director, Nico Lamperin is thrilled to attract Wozniacki back to the ASB Tennis Arena.

“Caroline is an extraordinary woman who is such a remarkable role model as a professional tennis player and person, and now showing that motherhood is no barrier.

“She has been a marvellous supporter of the ASB Classic and Auckland, and we are honoured and genuinely thrilled to host her back in our city.

“After watching her play in New York, I know that Caroline will be a genuine contender here.”

Lamperin said he is excited to have both Gauff and Wozniacki in the line-up for the women’s competition, and is in discussions with other exciting players which he hopes to announce in the coming weeks.

Tickets are on sale from https://asbclassic.flicket.co.nz

Photo: Photosport