KP Pannu was beaten in the first round of the ASB Classic. Photo / Dean Purcell
KP Pannu was beaten in the first round of the ASB Classic. Photo / Dean Purcell
Kiwi KP Pannu knows time is running out to fulfill his tennis dreams.
He admits that 2024 could be a make-or-break year – as he trying to escape the lower rungs of the ATP tour. The local wildcard is out of the men’s ASB Classic, after a straight sets loss to eighth seed Max Purcell on Tuesday.
It was always going to be a struggle against the highly rated Australian, who won three Challenger events in 2023 and reached the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters 1000.
There was a massive difference in rankings – almost 700 places – but Pannu belied the gulf for periods and was competitive throughout, using good variety. He was trying to become the first Kiwi male to win a main draw match here since Rubin Statham in 2019.
But world No 45 Purcell showed his class and served big when he needed, while the 27-year-old Pannu struggled when he stepped up to the line.
There were late surges in both sets but Purcell maintained his composure, completing the 6-4 6-4 victory in 87 minutes.
“I’m pretty disappointed because I threw in some sloppy service games, so I gifted it to him on a platter but he is top 50 for a reason, he served his way through it,” reflected Pannu. “It’s special playing at home, they were getting behind me so I tried to use it.”
Pannu had learned considerably from his Auckland main draw debut last year when he got overwhelmed in the straight sets defeat to eventual champion Richard Gasquet, while also struggling physically.
“This year I felt good out there, I was able to enjoy it,” said Pannu. That showed, especially towards the end of the second set, as he brought the crowd to their feet with some special shots.
After a break in Northland, then the Davis Cup tie in early February against Turkey in Auckland, it will be back to the grind for world No 716 Pannu, trying to scale the tennis ladder. He enjoyed an impressive breakthrough last year, qualifying for an ATP tournament in Washington, with the run including a career-best scalp of No 163, after six months out with injury.
Unfortunately, Pannu couldn’t make much of an impression on the Challenger tour after that and knows he is nearing the crossroads.
“I struggled to back it up for the rest of the year,” said Pannu. “To be honest, if I want to make it I’ve got to crack it on the Challenger tour, that’s the goal this year. I have some belief, not getting smoked out there [on Tuesday] was nice, we will see how 2024 goes.”
Meanwhile, the road back for Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov could be a long one, on the evidence of Tuesday’s first-round defeat.
Denis Shapovalov was beaten by Sebastian Ofner in the first round of the ASB Classic. Photo / Dean Purcell
The 24-year-old showed glimpses of the ability that took him to world No 10 but struggled for any consistency, especially on serve.
He threw up a staggering 11 double faults, as he fell to a 6-4 6-2 defeat to the seventh seed Sebastian Ofner in 68 minutes.
Shapovalov was one of the biggest names on tour between 2018 and 2021 with a series of stunning performances, including a run to the last four at Wimbledon in 2020.
He was ranked No 18 at the start of 2023 – but has struggled with various injuries since. His ranking has fallen to No 116 and Tuesday was his first match since Wimbledon last year.
There weren’t good omens from the start, as Shapovalov recorded three consecutive double faults in the first game of the match. That was the crucial break, in a tight first set. Shapovalov got plenty of crowd support – and hit some beautiful shots – but Ofner was steady.
The second set turned in the opening few games. Shapovalov had some break opportunities – but couldn’t take them – before the Austrian made no mistake with his chance. A frustrated Shapovalov seemed to unravel from there – constantly looking over to his coaching box to complain about his serving action – and Ofner cruised home from there.
In the first match on Tuesday, two-time Auckland champion Roberto Bautista Agut was edged 6-3 6-4 by compatriot Roberto Carballes Baena.
Bautista Agut, who has four career wins over Novak Djokovic when he was world No 1, has some great memories in Auckland, taking the title in 2016 (versus Jack Sock) and 2018 (against Juan Martin Del Porto).
Roberto Carballes Baena ended up crashing into the spectator box during his first-round match at the ASB Classic. Photo / Dean Purcell
But the veteran couldn’t reprise that form. He was constantly under pressure on serve – saving 10 break points but ceding five and struggled in the heat.
Carballes Baena always looked more likely, even if he narrowly avoided a nasty injury towards the end of the first set, as he tumbled into a corporate box near the baseline, after losing his balance as he chased a wide shot.
“I’m really happy,” said Carballes Baena. “I played very aggressive and I was serving very good. Roberto is a really good friend. It was a very tough match. We have practised together a lot and he likes to play on this surface. Over the last few years, I play more on hard court because I was playing on clay [a lot].”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.
