The first round action at the ATP Auckland Open 2025 will kick start on Monday, January 6 with Alex Michelsen, Nuno Borges and Roberto Carballes Baena set to take to court. Here’s the preview, predictions and tips for these matches from Auckland.
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Alex Michelsen v Sumit Nagal Preview
Head-to-Head: There have been no previous meetings between Michelsen and Nagal.
Michelsen kick-started his season with an appearance at the Brisbane International last week and he will now feature in his second competition of the year.
In that tournament, the world number 41 overcame Christopher O’Connell in the first round before Jordan Thompson got past him in straight sets.
As a result, he will continue to remain 41st, which is also his career-best ranking, having begun the 2024 season nearly 60 ranks below that. A third round appearance at the US Open and a final at the Washington Open looked to have changed things around dramatically for Michelsen.
Nagal, who is ranked 98th in the world at the moment, opted to take part in the Canberra Challenger last week but was bundled out of it by Patrick Kypson in the first round itself.
Here he was forced to come through the qualifiers where he stunned Adrian Mannarino in the second qualifying round. Can he pull off a rabbit of the hat here as well?
Michelsen v Nagal prediction: Over 19.5 games in the match: 5/6
Nuno Borges v Luciano Darderi Preview
Head-to-Head: Borges and Darderi have faced off just once before this and that came on the Challenger circuit in 2022. That clay court match was won by Borges
Borges has had a bit of an up and down start to the season. Featuring in Hong Kong last week, he was an underdog going into his opener against Y Bu with bookmakers offering 11/10 for his victory.
He surprised his Chinese opponent, winning the final set tie-breaker to march into the second round.
And there, Borges took on a fellow clay-court specialist Jaume Munar but went down in straight sets to crash out of the competition. Still, as someone whose only title at the highest level has come on clay he would have been reasonably satisfied to have made the second round there.
He takes on Luciano Darderi, a 44th-ranked player from Italy who also featured in that same tournament last week. Darderi was blown away by Karen Khachanov who won 6-3, 6-3 in the opener.
Darderi’s not much of a hardcourt player and might find it tough to get going against a far more confident Borges here.
Borges v Darderi prediction: Borges to win in straight sets: 6/5
Roberto Carballes Baena v Lucas Pouille Preview
Head-to-Head: There have been four meetings between Carballes Baena and Pouille and all of them have come on clay on the Challenger and Futures tour. It’s 2-2 on head to head.
Carballes Baena has been known for years to do his bit on clay, not so much in hardcourt competitions. Which is why it was a pleasant surprise to see him make the quarterfinals of this event last year to go with the quarterfinal appearance at Hangzhou and the third round at the Shanghai Masters.
He returned to the season this year with an opening round match at the Hong Kong Open and looked to have started well against Gabriel Diallo. Carballes Baena won the opening set despite starting out at 2/1 odds but Diallo clinched the next two to claim the second round berth.
The good news for Carballes Baena is the manner in which he fought through right to the end which should give him some confidence.
Speaking of confidence and the bookmakers look to have a lot of that in Pouille who starts off a 3/5 favourite here. A semifinalist at this event the last time he played here in 2015, Pouille failed to make it past the qualifying round in Brisbane last week.
That being said, the former world number 10 has won hardcourt titles but they have been indoors. Can he match up to the confidence of Carballes Baena?
Carballes Baena v Pouille prediction: Carballes Baena to win: 6/5
Zizou Bergs v Isaac Becroft Preview
Head-to-Head: Bergs and Becroft have never face off before this.
Having made the second round of the Hong Kong Open last week before losing to Arthur Fils, Bergs was then forced to come through the qualifiers in this competition to make the main draw.
And those wins weren’t quite easy either.
In the first qualifier, Bergs overcame Pablo Carreno-Busta in a three-setter that saw him come back from a set down. And he followed that up with something identical against Francisco Comesana despite starting out a 1/5 favourite there.
The good news for Bergs is he will be starting out against a wildcard entrant in Becroft who is currently 978th in the world. The Kiwi has never been ranked in the top 800 and his best hope in what will be his ATP debut is to not merely make the numbers.
Either ways, Bergs can be expected to steamroll his opponent here.
Bergs v Becroft prediction: Under 17.5 games in the match: 5/6
Other Auckland Open 2025 Predictions of the Day
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