Tennis: Mr Consistent cruises to a win

Teo Susnjak performed smoothly against Daniel King-Turner during their Auckland Tennis Champs singles final yesterday. Picture / Fotopress

The Mr Consistent of Auckland tennis, Teo Susnjak, captured the men's title at the Auckland championships last night with a controlled display against Canterbury's Dan King-Turner, winning 7-5, 6-4.

Susnjak, 27, once ranked as high as 362 in the world, now plays for fun while studying computer science at Massey University.

King-Turner mistimed numerous shots, while Susnjak was smooth throughout, keeping a consistent depth on nearly every shot and relishing the lack of pressure on and off the court.

"I've turned into a grinder in my old age," Susnjak said.

"Before it was life or death on the court. Now I'm not under any pressure. I'm a little more relaxed now. I don't feel I'm hitting the ball as well as I used to, but I'm still competing well." 

As for the future, Susnjak is undecided, especially when it comes to tennis. "Um ... I haven't thought about it really. I don't know," he said, not looking beyond today's potential two singles matches at the New Zealand Residentials at North Harbour.

"I haven't played this much tennis in four or five years."

For King-Turner, the final was a blow. He was also a beaten finalist in the singles and doubles in last year's event.

In the women's singles, Shelley Stephens won her second Auckland title in a strange final where she dropped the first set 1-6, fought back to win the second 6-4 and took out the third without dropping a game.

Stephens will also be aiming for her second NZ Residentials title at this year's event, which has attracted one of the largest entries in many years. Stephens is the top seed, but Leanne Baker may still be the slight favourite as she aims for her sixth title in eight years.

Waikato-born Baker has won the doubles title for the past nine years.

Seeded third is Cantabrian Niki Tippins, with Auckland's Tracey O'Connor fourth.

The top four seeds are favourites to make the semis, with fifth-seeded 14-year-old Kairangi Vano, fellow 14-year old Sacha Jones, the seventh seed, and another teen, eighth-seed Ellen Barry, of Canterbury, the only real chances to upset the top four.

The women's section is relatively straightforward, but the men's, with more than 50 players, is anything but easy to predict.

Top seed is Auckland's Adam Thompson, but he is not necessarily the favourite. Mark Nielsen would have been the choice for the title but has chosen not to return from Japan for the event, leaving Thompson at one, followed by former Aucklander Rubin Statham, who is just 17.

Third seed is Davis Cup team member Lee Radovanovich, with Matt Prentice fourth.