Mensik upsets top seed Shelton in three-set thriller

Less than three weeks after competing at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, Nishesh Basavareddy earned his biggest career win Wednesday at the ASB Classic. The 19-year-old American upset defending champion and World No. 23 Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to advance to his maiden tour-level quarter-final.

“Definitely the biggest win of my career so far, it’s only my second [ATP Tour] tournament,” Basavareddy said, while cracking a large smile. “Playing on a court like this, in front of a full stadium is a dream come true, especially against a great opponent like [Tabilo]. Super glad to win.”

 

Basavareddy utilised his superb returning skills to apply pressure on the lefty’s serve, creating 13 break chances and converting two of them, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He earned a key break at 4-4 in the deciding set and held serve the ensuing game — despite facing deuce — to seal the two-hour, 25 minute victory.

The American entered the week as World No. 133 and is up to No. 115 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, setting him up for a new career high. He will next meet countryman and eighth seed Alex Michelsen, who ousted Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(3), 6-2 to avenge last year’s Winston-Salem final loss to the Italian. Michelsen leads Basavareddy 1-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series after defeating the teenager in a round-robin match in Jeddah last month.

Basavareddy turned pro in December following a standout 2024 season in which he was dominant on the ATP Challenger Tour. Basavareddy, who spent two years at Stanford University, won two Challenger titles and reached four additional finals at that level last season. He tallied a 41-13 match record, becoming just the third American in Challenger history (since 1978) to earn more than 40 wins in a single season.

Tabilo, 27, won his first tour-level trophy in Auckland last year as a qualifier, a feat that Basavareddy will be hoping to achieve himself.

Basavareddy’s fellow #NextGenATP star Jaukub Mensik closed out the night session with an absorbing 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 victory over top seed Ben Shelton. The 19-year-old prevailed in a battle between two explosive ballstrikers, outhitting Shelton by 33 winners to 27 throughout the two-hour, 37-minute clash.

“I had so many opportunities to break him and fortunately it happened in the last game,” said Mensik, who converted his sixth match point. “[It was] a tough match, especially mentally. I just feel good.”

 

In his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final, Mensik will face Nuno Borges, who rallied past Mariano Navone 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Earlier, 38-year-old Gael Monfils rolled back the years with a vintage 6-1, 7-6(5) win over ninth seed Jan-Lennard Struff, becoming the oldest quarter-finalist in Auckland since 1970. Qualifier Zizou Bergs also booked his place in the last eight with a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Italian Luca Nardi.