Biggest disappointment
Jack Sock. His apparent lack of effort in his first round loss against the World No60 — and complete indifference afterwards — was hard to understand. Compounding that was his refusal to engage with fans, media or sponsors during his brief stay in Auckland.
The American's conduct was befitting of a recent graduate from kindergarten, not the 8th ranked tennis player in the world.
Best women's match
There were not too many to choose from but the first round clash between Barbora Strycova and Sara Errani, which stretched beyond three hours, was probably the standout in terms of pure drama.
Agnieszka Radwanska's first round win over Beatriz Haddad Maia featured some great shot making, while Caroline Wozniacki's rain interrupted semifinal with Sofia Kenin was full of entertainment.
Best men's match
For entertainment value, the Auckland debut of Denis Shapovalov, where the teenage Canadian rocked the ASB Tennis Centre. For drama, there was Sam Querrey's exit at the hands of Jiri Vesely and David Ferrer's battle against Wu Yibing.
But for quality and tension, Hyeon Chung's encounter with John Isner — which left a capacity crowd entranced until well past 11pm — and the Bautista Agut-Haase classic, which will be remembered for years.
Best shot
Robin Haase. Late in the clash with Bautista Agut, the 1.91m Dutchman conjured up a cross court winner from a near impossible angle, leaving Bautista Agut — and the crowd — completely confounded.
Best shot (2)
Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine produced a YouTube special in his semifinal against Ferrer, with a running forehand at full stretch from a seemingly hopeless position that zoomed past the stunned Spaniard.
Best shot (3)
Roberto Bautista Agut. After almost three hours, Bautista Agut produced an amazing lob to seal an emotional match over Haase.
Best idea
Hawkeye. Only the second year it has been used in Auckland, but it's hard to imagine life without it. It added to the entertainment for the spectators, and to the credibility for the players, though the 'Jaws' theme music that accompanied it put off some fans.
Worst idea
For the third successive year, the BMW sponsored engine revving blasted over the speakers after every ace. Why? It got a bit tiring with John Isner was on court, or in the Del Potro-Karen Khachanov ace-a-thon. And the tiny speed serve display — hidden within a cutout of a car — was also hard to understand.
Quote of the fortnight (1)
"It was a very difficult match. I passed some very bad moments on the court and at that match I screamed because I was very stressed ... no?" — A candid, exhausted Roberto Bautista Agut after his semifinal win over Haase.
Quote (2)
"Am I the first top 10 guy to lose to a guy outside the top 50? Probably not. It was my first match of the year I don't know what you guys really expect of me. I'm sorry if you guys thought I was not 100 per cent but I did try." — Jack Sock goes heavy into excuse mode after his shock loss.
Best new innovation
The enlarged 'Serve' — an oasis of off court entertainment, with even more food options, though the $14 hot dogs, no matter how gourmet they are, were hard to justify.
The Fred Dagg "You don't know how lucky you are" award
Jade Lewis. The Auckland teenager is living the dream as a tennis professional, and has been given very generous funding support by the Seed foundation. Given that, her refusal to acknowledge the Auckland crowd at the end of her first round match was a bit embarrassing.
The 'Going the Extra Mile' award
The arena MC during the men's tournament, whose research and preparation ahead of each match consisted of simply reading out the profile straight from the ATP website. The tennis loving crowd in Auckland deserved more insight.
Most unlikely crowd favourite
Robin Haase. During several visits here Haase has always been in the background, but the Dutchman thrust himself into the limelight on Friday with a remarkable display. On several occasions he extorted the crowd to get behind him and they responded.
Worst post match question
The many variations of the seemingly timeless "Congratulations, you must be pleased with that performance" doozy posed by the Sky Sport interviewer during the men's week. Please, some creativity, in the manner of Geoff Bryan during his TVNZ days.
Best effort by a New Zealander
Unlike last year, this gong was much harder to judge. Jade Lewis was below par in her first round outing, and Michael Venus never got going in his tough assignment against Bautista Agut.
Artem Sitak and Marcus Daniell shone for moments in their doubles stints, but Venus' quarter-final win alongside Raven Klaasen was probably the local highlight.
The Michael Cheika award for grace under pressure
Jack Sock, for his bizarre press conference following an awful first round performance. In six minutes and 20 seconds Sock undid much of the goodwill he had engendered from his previous Auckland visits.
Best timing award
The near constant sunshine during the second week.
Worst timing award
The weather on the third and fourth days of the women's event. Auckland's climate can be fickle — but where did all that rain come from?
The Bill Gates award for work ethic
Tennis New Zealand High Performance director Simon Rea. Spotted here, there and absolutely everywhere across the fortnight.
