And Sock getting the boot off court
the tiny speed serve display — hidden within a cutout of a car — was also hard to understand.
Quote of the fortnight (1)
“It was a very difficult match. I passed some very bad moments on the court and at that match I screamed because I was very stressed . . . no?” — A candid, exhausted Roberto Bautista Agut after his semifinal win over Haase.
Quote (2)
“Am I the first top 10 guy to lose to a guy outside the top 50? Probably not. It was my first match of the year I don’t know what you guys really expect of me. I’m sorry if you guys thought I was not 100 per cent but I did try.” — Jack Sock goes heavy into excuse mode after his shock loss.
Best new innovation
The enlarged ‘Serve’ — an oasis of off court entertainment, with even more food options, though the $14 hot dogs, no matter how gourmet they are, were hard to justify.
The Fred Dagg “You don’t know how lucky you are” award
Jade Lewis. The Auckland teenager is living the dream as a tennis professional, and has been given very generous funding support by the Seed foundation. Given that, her refusal to acknowledge the Auckland crowd at the end of her first round match was a bit embarrassing.
The ‘Going the Extra Mile’ award
The arena MC during the men’s tournament, whose research and preparation ahead of each match consisted of simply reading out the profile straight from the ATP website. The tennis loving crowd in Auckland deserved more insight.
Most unlikely crowd favourite
Robin Haase. During several visits here Haase has always been in the background, but the Dutchman thrust himself into the limelight on Friday with a remarkable display. On several occasions he extorted the crowd to get behind him and they responded.
Worst post match question
The many variations of the seemingly timeless “Congratulations, you must be pleased with that performance” doozy posed by the Sky Sport interviewer during the men’s week. Please, some creativity, in the manner of Geoff Bryan during his TVNZ days.
Best effort by a New Zealander
Unlike last year, this gong was much harder to judge. Jade Lewis was below par in her first round outing, and Michael Venus never got going in his tough assignment against Bautista Agut. Artem Sitak and Marcus Daniell shone for moments in their doubles stints, but
Venus’ quarter-final win alongside
Raven
Klaasen was probably the local highlight.
The Michael
Cheika award for grace under pressure
Jack Sock, for his bizarre press conference following an awful first round performance. In six minutes and 20 seconds Sock undid much of the goodwill he had engendered from his previous Auckland visits.
Best timing award
The near constant sunshine during the second week.
Worst timing award
The weather on the third and fourth days of the women’s event. Auckland’s climate can be fickle — but where did all that rain come from?
The Bill Gates award for work ethic
Tennis New Zealand High Performance director Simon Rea. Spotted here, there and absolutely everywhere across the fortnight.