Sebastian Ofner continues to do excellently for the Australian Open in Melbourne, which begins on Sunday.
Austria’s currently best tennis player defeated Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6:4 6:2 in the first round of the ATP 250 tournament in Auckland on Tuesday. It was the Styrian’s first duel with the former world number ten, who played a game on the tour for the first time since Wimbledon last year after a knee injury. Ofner will now face Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena in the round of 16.
Ofner, who is seeded number seven in Auckland, is playing in the tournament in New Zealand for the first time. He showed strong early form last week by reaching the semi-finals in Hong Kong. Wolfgang Thiem’s protégé is competing in Auckland as a dress rehearsal for the Australian Open, where he will be taking part in the main competition for the first time.
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