Bautista Agut starting to build steam
After last year’s late withdrawal, Roberto Bautista Agut appears to have picked up where he left off in 2016.
In a battle between two former ASB Classic champions, Bautista Agut, who lifted the trophy two years ago, was far too good for 2015 winner Jiri Vesely, reaching his third semifinal in Auckland with a 7-6 6-2 victory.
Twelve months ago, a stomach virus prevented him from defending the title, but the stars have aligned nicely for the world No 21 this week.
With two of the top three seeds, reigning champion Jack Sock and Sam Querrey, bowing out on Wednesday, he certainly has an easier path to the final.
The fifth seed will meet either Dutchman Robin Haase or Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk in Friday’s semifinal.
‘‘I feel great playing on this court, with this crowd in these conditions.’’ Bautista Agut
But it helps that he is playing some pretty handy tennis, too.
Bautista Agut has shown great variety in his game to drop just one set so far this week.
His solid serve and consistency from the baseline has been complimented well with some sharp net play and perfectly-placed lobs.
It is rare for players to look past their next match and Bautista Agut is no different.
But making his sixth appearance at the tournament, Stanley Street is starting to feel like a home away from home for the Spaniard.
‘‘I feel great playing on this court, with this crowd in these conditions,’’ he said.
‘‘I think the conditions are great for my tennis.’’
After a tight first set against Vesely, where the players exchanged early breaks, Bautista Agut conceded just one point in the tiebreak to take the upper hand.
While Vesely fired down six aces in the first set, he let himself down on second serve.
The Czech won just 31 per cent of those points and it eventually came back to haunt him, Bautista Agut capitalising in the tiebreak with several strong returns.
That seemed to break the spirit of Vesely.
Bautista Agut was a class above in the second set and always in control, wrapping up the match in 90 minutes.
‘‘He’s a difficult opponent. He’s a lefty and he plays with a very flat backhand. It was tough at the beginning to find the rhythm with the ball but then I finished the match playing very well,’’ Bautista Agut said.
‘‘I served very well in the second set. I tried to play very aggressive with my forehand and I did.’’
Meanwhile, Tennis New Zealand hasn’t hidden its disappointment at Michael Venus missing out on being a finalist for the Halberg Awards.
The 30-year-old Venus had an incredible 2017, winning the French Open doubles title with American Ryan Harrison, getting to No 12 in the world rankings and reaching the prestigious ATP World Tour finals in London, where he got to the semifinals.
Tennis NZ high performance director Simon Rea said he was baffled at Venus’ omission.
"I don’t want to speak for Michael and I haven’t been able to catch up with him, but I know he was immensely looking forward to being a part of the night itself," Rea said.