Auckland success a stepping stone
ANALYSIS: Play well in Auckland and your year will be great.
That maxim has often been used as a selling point for the ASB Classic – to attract players and to alert fans that the players they’ll see at Stanley Street will become household tennis names if they weren’t already.
Does it hold water though? Is it an over-stated marketing ploy or do the Classic winners then have banner years following their January triumphs?
I’ve worked through this century’s tournaments and can clearly state that if tournament director Karl Budge continues to promote the event on this message, he’s got every right.
Eleven men’s players have had notably successful seasons – many of them career-best – after winning the week before the Australian Open.
The number is exactly the same for the women’s victors – 11 titlewinners have had stellar calendaryear campaigns that have built on their Classic triumph.
Among those to use Auckland as a massive springboard to success are Juan Martin del Potro, Sloane Stephens, Ana Ivanovic, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic, Jarko Nieminen, Fernando Gonzalez, Marion Bartoli, Dominik Hrbaty and Magnus Norman.
While that group feature some of the big names – and Grand Slam tournament winners of the 21st century – there’s also a number of next-tier players who have had standout years after winning in Auckland.
They include Jack Sock, Lauren Davis, Jiri Vesely, Zheng Jie, Greta Arn, Eleni Daniilidou and Anna Smashnova.
Here’s a list of Auckland winners that were obvious examples of that triumph leading to stellar years.
Men: Jack Sock 2017, Roberto Bautista-Agut 2016, Jiri Vesely 2015, David Ferrer 2013 and 2012, Juan Martin del Potro 2009, Ferrer 2007, Jarko Nieminen 2006, Fernando Gonzalez 2005, Dominik Hrbaty 2004, Norman 2000.
Women: Davis 2017, Stephens 2016, Ivanovic 2014, Zheng Jie 2012, Arn 2011, Dementieva 2009, Jankovic 2007, Bartoli 2006, Srebotnik 2005, Daniilidou 2003, Smashnova 2002.
There are a couple of caveats of course – if you win a tournament, even a Tier Two event like the Classic, clearly your ranking is going to rise and it’s likely those points will see you finish in a better year-ending spot than previous. If Auckland is your first title, it’s going to mark a significant year.
But that list above makes a compelling argument.
For definitive proof that success in Auckland paves a road towards further riches, let’s run through every year since 2000. MEN’S WINNERS 2017 Jack Sock: Runner-up in 2016 when sick in the final, Sock beat Joao Sousa in the final, lifting him into the world’s top 20 for the first time. Sock finished the year ranked No 8, the highest standing of his career.
2016 Roberto Bautista-Agut: The Spaniard made Auckland one of his two ATP titles that year, beating second seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga along the way to claim his first Top 10 scalp in two years. He then went to Melbourne and missed making his first Grand Slam quarterfinal when losing in five sets to sixth seed Toma´sˇ Berdych. He finished 2016 ranked number 14 in the world – up 11 spots on the previous year.
2015 Jiri Vesely: Auckland was the first ATP title for the Czech, who ended 2015 with his highest career-ranking of 35.
2014 John Isner: Two titles, a 39-20 singles record, a top 20 ranking and almost $US1.3 million in prizemoney for the giant North Carolinan.
2013 David Ferrer: After defending his title again in Auckland, Ferrer made the semifinals of the Australian Open and was ranked No 3 in the world by the end of the year – the highest mark of his outstanding career.
2012 David Ferrer: After winning the Auckland crown for the third time, Ferrer made the Australian Open quarters before he ran into Novak Djokovic. He also made his first French Open semifinal, where he was hammered by Rafael Nadal and also reached the last four at the US Open before bowing again to Djokovic. The indefatigable Ferrer captured his first Masters 1000 title – one of seven ATP-level titles in 2012, a year in which he won more matches than any other player.
2011 David Ferrer: Victory in Auckland was followed by an Australian Open which saw him, as seventh seed, beat an injured Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals before losing in the semis to Andy Murray. He was part of a Spanish side that won the Davis Cup, he had two Masters 1000 runners-up finishes and was world No 5 at the end of the year.
2010 John Isner: Auckland was Isner’s first ATP title, won as an unseeded player after saving a championship point to defeat Arnaud Clement. The win pushed Isner into the top 30 for the first time. His much bigger claim to fame came at Wimbledon later that year, when he and Nicolas Mahut contested the longest match in the sport’s history, with Isner eventually winning 6–4, 3–6, 6–7, 7–6, 70–68. The previous record was, funnily enough, held by Clement and fellow Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.
2009 Juan Martin del Potro: The Argentinian won his fifth career title in Auckland but reached a career-peak later that year in New York, where he won the US Open, beating Nadal in the semifinal and Federer in the final. Del Potro ended the year as the youngest player in the top 10.
2008 Philip Kohlschreiber: The German captured his second tour title in Auckland when beating Juan Carlos Ferrero but after defeating world No 6 Andy Roddick in the third round in Melbourne, he lost in the next round to former Auckland winner Jarko Nieminen. His best event for the rest of the season was in Halle when he was beaten in the final by Federer.
2007 David Ferrer: The Spaniard was an up-and-coming 24-year-old when he won the first of his four Auckland crowns, beating countryman Tommy Robredo. He followed it up with quarterfinal appearances in Rotterdam, Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and Hamburg and the semis in Barcelona to end the year at a then-best No 5.
2006 Jarko Nieminen: Finland’s finest won his first ATP singles crown in Auckland in January with a win over Mario Ancic. It started a banner year for Nieminen, who got to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon before losing to Nadal, made his first Masters quarterfinal and reached his career-high of 13 in July. Ancic also had a memorable year, winning two more finals, losing another, being beaten at the quarterfinals at Wimbledon also – to Federer – and getting to his career-high of No 7. The following year, Ancic was struck with mononucleosis, which led to six months off the tour and the start the end of his career.
2005 Fernando Gonzalez: It was the first hard court title for the Chilean, who went on to make the quarters at Wimbledon, and win titles on clay (at Amersfoort) and indoor carpet (at Basel) to see him end the year ranked 11th in the world.
2004 Dominik Hrbaty: The best season of the Slovakian’s career started in red-hot form as he backed up the win in Auckland over a promising 17-year-old named Nadal by also capturing the title in Adelaide. in 2004 he also won in Marseilles, made the final in Casablanca, beat Federer in Cincinnati and made the US Open quarters.
2003 Gustavo Kuerten: It wasn’t a memorable year for the Brazilian, who was at age 26 on the downslope of a super career which saw him win three French Open titles.
2002 Greg Rusedski: The Canadian turned Brit was 28 and also past his peak but did add another ATP title that year in Indianapolis. Runner-up Jerome Golmard was making his last appearance in a final and died last year after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2014.
2001 Dominik Hrbaty: His win in Auckland was his third on tour and he carried that form into the Australian Open, making the quarterfinals while eliminating second seed Marat Safin. Hrbaty made the semis in Dubai, Tashkent and Moscow.
2000 Magnus Norman: He went to Melbourne after winning in Auckland and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open. If Norman had beaten Kuerten in that encounter, he would have become world No 1. He won 10 titles in 1999 and 2000 before injuries rapidly curtailed his career. WOMEN’S WINNERS 2017 Lauren Davis: The American claimed her first WTA title in Auckland and later made the quarterfinals in Doha and Dubai while rising to a career-high ranking of 26, but did exit all four Grand Slam tournaments in the first round and ended the year ranked 48.
2016 Sloane Stephens: Her Auckland triumph was followed by a first round Australian Open loss to a qualifier, but she won further titles in Acapulco and Charleston. A stress fracture in her right foot saw her sidelined for the second half of the year but she remarkably returned to action last year and captured the US Open crown.
2015 Venus Williams: The veteran superstar’s win in Auckland was the 46th career singles title and she backed that up by making a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time since 2010 when reaching the last eight. She also climbed back into the top 10 for the first time since 2011 and finished the year at No 7.
2014 Ana Ivanovic: Her win over Venus Williams in Auckland was her 12th WTAtitle. She was knocked out in the Australian Open quarterfinals but had a strong year which saw the Serb end the year ranked No 5, the second-best position of her career.
2013 Agnieszka Radwanska: The Pole backed up her 11th singles title by winning her 12th the following week in Sydney and then made the Australian Open quarterfinals. The Korea Open in September was her third WTA crown of the year.
2012 Zheng Jie: Her victory in Auckland was her first WTA singles title since 2006, she made the fourth round in Melbourne and ended the year 22 spots above her 2011 mark of 48.
2011 Greta Arn: The Hungarian scored the biggest win of her career when she knocked out top seed Maria Sharapova in the Auckland quarterfinal, and followed that up with wins over Julia Gorges and Yanina Wickmayer to claim the title. It was her second career title and helped her reach a career-high ranking of 40 in May.
2010 Yanina Wickmayer: Given a wildcard due to a suspension late the previous year, Wickmayer won the Auckland tournament without dropping a set to claim the third title of her career. After having to go through qualifying in Melbourne, she got to the fourth round before losing to former world No 1 Justine Henin and climbed to a career-best ranking of 15.
2009 Elena Dementieva: The top seed lived up to her billing in Auckland and then backed up in Sydney with another title, beating Serena Williams in the semis and Dinara Safina in the final. Her 15-match winning streak ended in the semifinals of the Australian Open when Williams got her revenge. She had risen to No 3 in the world at that stage and after also making the semis at Wimbledon and claiming the Toronto crown ended the year at 5, one spot down from 2008.
2008 Lindsay Davenport: Aged 31 when she won in Auckland, Davenport found Maria Sharapova too tough in the second round of the season’s first Slam in Melbourne. It was eight years since the US veteran had won a Grand Slam. Still, during January she went past Steffi Graf on the tour prizemoney list.
2007 Jelena Jankovic: Almost another double January triumph – Jankovic beat Vera Zvonareva in the Auckland final and then defeated Martina Hingis and Amelie Mauresmo in Sydney before losing that final to Kim Clijsters. She ran into eventual champ Serena Williams in the fourth round of the Australian Open but had still made the world top 10 for the first time in her career. She never slowed down in 2007, winning 72 matches and ending it as world No 3.
2006 Marion Bartoli: The 21-year-old won her first WTAtitle in Auckland but lost in the second round in Melbourne. She was runner-up in Bali, won the Japan Open in October and finished her year with the Quebec crown, making her the world No 17.
2005 Katarina Srebotnik: Auckland was one of two titles in 2005, the other being in Stockholm, while she also won four doubles titles and reached No 28 in November. Her career-best spot of 20 came the next year.
2004 Eleni Daniilidou: She defended her Classic crown and later made the semifinals in Miami and made the fourth round of the US Open.
2003 Eleni Daniilidou: Her win in Auckland gave the Greek her second WTAtitle and she then made the fourth round of the Australian Open, which pushed her into the top 20 for the first time. Daniilidou got as high as 14 in a season in which she also made the semifinals in Paris and Birmingham.
2002 Anna Smashnova: Her victory in Auckland was one of four titles that year for the Israeli, who included Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters among the stars she beat in 2002.
2001 Meilen Tu: Auckland was the sole WTATour singles title won by the American.
2000 Anne Kremer: The Luxembourgian won two WTA singles crowns – both in 2000. She triumphed in Auckland in January and then in Thailand in November.