Venus seizes chance to

Doubles maestro faces formidable singles opponent tonight

Once again tonight, Michael Venus gets a chance to touch the void. The New Zealand wildcard will be the main attraction on day one of the ASB Classic, as he attempts to overcome huge odds against the 2016 champion Roberto Bautista Agut.

It’s not impossible — nothing is in sport — but almost as close as you can get.

That’s no slight on Venus, but more a realistic appraisal of the circumstances.

Across the calendar year in 2017 the 29-year-old stepped on to a singles court just five times, as he devoted himself full time to the doubles tour. There were two Davis Cup matches against Korea in April, while on the ATP tour he played the first round against Feliciano Lopez at the ASB Classic, an unranked American in qualifying at a Texas Challenger and world No 800 Zihao Xia in Chengdu last September.

Tonight he’s facing the 20th ranked player in the world, who has six ATP titles to his name, claimed the scalp of Novak Djokovic when he was No 1 and also boasts victories over Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Martin Del Potro and Gael Monfils.

But there are some reasons for hope tonight. Firstly, Venus is coming into this event after an incredible year, where he won the French Open doubles crown and reached the ATP finals. Doubles is a completely different format, but the confidence and belief that Venus has gained carries over regardless.

Secondly, Venus has acquitted himself remarkably well in Auckland in recent years. His win over world No 109 Alejandro Gonzalez in 2015 created the best atmosphere on Stanley Street since the days of Brett Steven, while last year he took the first set off highly rated Spaniard Feliciano Lopez and had chances to win the match.

He has learned to embrace the pressure, and enjoy it, admitting it is a novelty to play in front of a large crowd, with many friends and family in the grandstand.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” said Venus. “It’s always a great experience to play at home and I want to make the most of it.”

Venus has genuine weapons. His