AUCKLAND, Jan 17 — Rising Czech tennis star Jakub Mensik powered past Sebastian Baez in the Auckland Classic final on Saturday, capping a strong lead-up to the Australian Open.
AUCKLAND, Jan 17 — Rising Czech tennis star Jakub Mensik powered past Sebastian Baez in the Auckland Classic final on Saturday, capping a strong lead-up to the Australian Open.
Mensik fired 18 aces to claim a 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) victory, securing his second career title following last year’s Miami Open triumph. At 20, he is the youngest player ranked in the world’s top 25 and is seeded 16 at Melbourne Park, showing he could be a major threat in the year’s first Grand Slam.
The tall Czech’s combination of a powerful serve and precise net play proved too much for 39th-ranked Argentine Baez. Mensik broke once in each set and battled back in the tiebreak, saving three set points to seal the win.
“After pre-season, you’re not fully in rhythm, so I’m really happy with my performance,” Mensik said. “Seb is a great fighter, and it’s tough to hit winners against him, but I stayed focused and kept my spirit to the end.”
Rain delays forced both players to contest their quarter-finals and semi-finals on Friday. Baez, who has six of his seven career titles on clay, had earlier upset top-seeded American Ben Shelton in the quarters. Saturday marked Baez’s first defeat of the year, following three wins at last week’s United Cup, including a victory over world number nine Taylor Fritz. — AFP
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