Quarterfinal spots will be at stake on Wednesday in Auckland, where seeds Cameron Norrie and Jakub Mensik will take to the court. They face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Hamad Medjedovic, respectively.
(5) Cameron Norrie vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Norrie and Master Perricard will be going up against each other for the first time in their careers when they compete in the second round of the ASB Classic on Wednesday. As a native of New Zealand, this could be a home tournament for Norrie – even if he is playing under the British flag. The world number 28 finished second in the tournament and opened on Monday defeating Hugo Gaston 6-3, 6-4.
Mpetshi Perricard started his week with a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over Roberto Bautista Agut where he was broken for the first time all afternoon while serving at 5-4 in the second set but recovered to win the next game. The 22-year-old Frenchman is off to a 3-1 start to the season after reaching the quarterfinals in Brisbane last week. This should be fine, but Norrie’s game can work well against big servers – and he has home court advantage.
Pick: Norrie at 3
(Q) Hamad Medjedovic vs. (3) Jakub Mensik
Mensik’s United Cup performance last week produced a number of results. The 18th-ranked Czech opened with a stunning win over Casper Ruud but then lost to both Alex de Minaur and Zizou Bergs in straight sets. Wednesday marks Mensik’s first game in Auckland, as he gets the chance to bid farewell as the number 3.
The first for this 20-year-old player is the second meeting with Medjedovic, and their first one did not disappoint. At the 2023 Challenger event on hard indoor court in Sweden, Mensik won 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(8). Speaking of the third-set tiebreakers, Medjedovic outlasted Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Serbian has qualified for the main draw to begin with, having played seven sets of tennis in Auckland. Mensik has a good chance, and will be motivated to get at least a few more matches under his belt before the Australian Open.
Choose: Mensik in 3
