The 2018 Auckland Open is part of the run-up to the Australian Open and a chance for mid-tier players on tour to get crucial on-court time. This doesn’t just shake off rust from the offseason; it gives players fresh from training blocks a chance to see if new tactics, techniques or strokes are having an effect on court. Not everything might come together right away, but players might leave New Zealand with a better sense of what they have to do going forward, especially at the Australian Open, the first event of considerable consequence in this and every tennis season.
The competition in the 32-player main draw will begin on Monday, January 1.
Event Details
Event: Auckland Open
Category: WTA International Level
Date: January 1-7, 2018
Location: ASB Tennis Centre – Auckland, New Zealand
With a prize money allotment of $250,000, there’s not a massive purse attached to this tournament, which can’t compete with Shenzhen in China. However, it’s not an inferior event in terms of rankings points, and it’s just as valuable in terms of offering match play to players who need it before making the trek to Melbourne for the year’s first major.
The points structure under the WTA system:
280 – champion
180 – runner-up
110 – semifinal
60 – quarterfinal
30 – round of 16
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2017: Lauren Davis def. Ana Konjuh, 6-3, 6-1
2016: Sloane Stephens d. Julia Gorges 7-5, 6-2
2015: Venus Williams d. Caroline Wozniacki 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
2014: Ana Ivanovic d. Venus Williams 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
2013: Agnieszka Radwanska d. Yanina Wickmayer 6-4, 6-4
Player Info:
Caroline Wozniacki is the top seed, ranked third in the world after winning the prestigious WTA Finals in Singapore in October. Wozniacki has done virtually everything in tennis except win a major. She hopes that this week in New Zealand will give her the proper preparation for Australia. She is coming off a fairly strong campaign where she finished with 60 wins (60-21). She did alright on grass, going 7-2 and was productive on clay, going 12-6, but she collected most of her wins on the hard courts. She was 37-12 on the hard courts last year, which is an encouraging sign.
Julia Goerges had a very solid 2017 season, pushing into the top 15. On the year, she finished with an all-around record of 46-22. While she struggled on clay courts (going 7-7) and was passable on grass (4-2), she did best on the hard courts. Overall, she compiled a record of 25-11 on the hard surface, which is a very successful record for her. The German can hit very big but runs hot and cold and regularly has trouble harnessing her nerves in important matches. A steady week in Auckland can be a springboard for her as she heads to Melbourne.
Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska has played in Grand Slam finals and owns a world of experience, but the WTA Tour beat her down last year. On the season, she was merely just 25-18, which is surprising. Consider that she had at least 50 wins in each of the two previous seasons. Two seasons ago, she was 53-18. Last year, she lost 18 of her 43 matches. She still did alright on the hard courts, going 20-14 but much more will be expected of her this year. She was 41-10 and 30-13 on the hard courts in each of the previous two seasons. A longtime resident of the top 10 was pushed to a year-end No. 28 ranking. Does she have anything left in the tank? Auckland will offer a first indication this season.
The other player of note at this tournament is No. 8 seed Donna Vekic. Though ranked only 54th, Vekic shows promise as a high-riser on tour. She is only 21, and last year, she came very close to upsetting eventual Wimbledon semifinalist Jo Konta in the second round. She is immensely talented and will try to put together a breakthrough season in 2018. This is her first chance to show that she should be taken seriously. She was just 16-21 on the season but those numbers might be a bit misleading.
ASB Tennis Centre
The facility was founded in 1920 and has undergone multiple modernizations, the most recent one being 2010. The complex has indoor and outdoor courts with various surfaces, but the hardcourt tournament is played on seven outdoor courts with a Rebound Ace surface.
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