AUCKLAND, January 12, 2019
Tennys Sandgren clinched his first ATP Tour title, winning the 2019 ASB Classic in Auckland. The unseeded US-American defeated British wild card entry Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-2 in Saturday’s singles final.
Sandgren, who didnt’t drop a set in New Zealand this week, capitalized on four of his 12 break point chances to prevail after one hour and 18 minutes.
First @ATP_Tour title for @TennysSandgren!
Defeats Norrie 6-4 6-2 in Auckland.#ASBClassic pic.twitter.com/ot2Urgtbrf
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) 12. Januar 2019
“I’m a little bit at a loss for words, honestly. A lot of work, a lot of training and a lot of sacrifice goes into even making a final and to get a win, I’m kind of speechless,” Sandgren said. “[I’m] just grateful that I can be out here, play and compete. I’ve dealt with some injuries, so just to be healthy and playing well, it feels really good.”
The 27-year-old from Tennessee earns $90,990 in prize money as well as 250 ATP-Ranking points.
McLachlan/Struff lift doubles trophies
Earlier in the day, Ben McLachlan, who grew up in New Zealand but plays under the flag of Japan, and Jan-Lennard Struff from Germany took the doubles title. The tandem defeated the tournament’s No. 3 seeds Raven Klaasen from South Africa and home favourite Michael Venus 6-3, 6-4. The encounter lasted one hour and five minutes.
“It’s pretty unreal. I watched this tournament growing up as a youngster. Becoming a ballboy was an unreal experience,” McLachlan said on court after the victory. “It’s just a dream come true.”
