Auckland (ATP 250)

"The Auckland ATP 250 2026 has concluded. Mensik claimed the title defeating Baez in the final. Below is my original tournament preview."

The Auckland tournament (ASB Classic) has been held in Auckland since 1956.

Auckland is played on Outdoor Hard courts. 

 Taking place the week before the Australian Open, this ATP 250 tournament serves as a preparation for the Australian Open.

Statistics

These are the Stats for 2023, 2024 and 2025 (3-year average):

• 71.7% of points won on 1st Serve
• 79.1% of Service Holds
• 0.51 Aces per game 
• 0.22 Tie-breaks per set

 If we look at the Tennis Abstract Rating from last season, it shows a Surface Speed of 0.93, indicating medium-speed conditions.

Previous Winners

2025: Monfils d. Bergs

2024: Tabilo d. T. Daniel

2023: Gasquet d. Norrie

2020: Humbert d. Paire

2019: Sandgren d. Norrie

 It's a tournament that Ferrer has won 4 times (2007, 2011, 2012, 2013) and Isner (2010, 2014) and Bautista (2016, 2018) twice.

Weather

Next week in Auckland, New Zealand is forecast to be warm with highs mostly around 24–28 °C (75–82 °F) and lows generally 14–20 °C (57–68 °F), with temperatures remaining relatively stable over the period. Winds are expected to be moderate (for Auckland), typically in the range of about 10–30 km/h (6–20 mph). However, this can change at any moment. Overall humidity levels are moderately high, often in the 70–90 % range, particularly where cloud cover and showers occur, and there is a consistent chance of showers or occasional rain throughout much of the week rather than long dry spells.

Here’s the link so you can check the weather in Auckland day by day and hour by hour. Wind will be specially important to monitor: 

Player Statements

Monfils, 2025: "The tournament is beautiful, but damn, the wind is crazy!"

Carballes Baena: "Today was a hard day to play tennis as the conditions were very rough. The ball is moving all the time and it makes even the easy balls become difficult. I tried to fight every point and I’m happy with the win."

Borges, 2025: "With the windy conditions it wasn’t easy which I remembered from last year."

Purcell, 2024: "It’s different than to Brisbane here as it’s not under cover and the heat gets onto the court so you can really serve big. I hit my spots today and I’m happy with how it went.”

Ruud, 2023: "The court was blistering fast." (this match was played indoor because of rain) 

Raducanu 2023: "The courts are incredibly slick."

Shelton, 2023: "We both had some trouble at the beginning getting used to the speed of the courts, it's definitely a little faster indoors than outside. Once we got used to it, it was a lot of ping pong points."

Norrie, 2023: "I felt Centre Court was very fast and it really suited his game well, so I had to play well and I obviously started the season pretty decently." 

Goerges, 2018: “It's a pretty fast court, you can use a lot of slice, kick and variety, it's good for my serve.”

Summary

The surface is fast, with a mid-low bounce. 

However, the statistics for points won on the first serve suggest medium-paced conditions. This is surely because the wind, which is almost always present in Auckland, counterbalances these factors; otherwise, we would likely see data indicating a much faster court.

Forget about Ferrer's four wins in this tournament, as they took place before 2017, the year the Auckland Plexipave hard courts were resurfaced and made faster. Since 2017, the playing conditions have shifted towards the faster side.

All in all, it could be favorable to big servers and players with flat strokesand effective backhand slice.

Wind is typically a significant factor in Auckland, adding an extra layer of unpredictability to conditions. It's crucial to account for it daily, as it can greatly influence play. Normally, when there is strong wind, things are evened out and there can be more room for surprises. Moreover, it affects more negatively those players more suited to fast courts and flat strokes, who need to hit the ball at the exact moment.

Draws

These are the links to the Auckland Qualifying Draw and the Auckland Main Draw. You can check them at any time to follow the latest updates and see which players advance in each round.