Major winners Naomi Osaka and Sloane Stephens headline the action on Day 1 but all eyes will be on local hope Lulu Sun. She faces veteran Rebecca Marino and is in an open section of the draw meaning the Auckland fans could get more than they bargained for throughout the week.
Sun is coming off a career-best year and gets a favourable first-up assignment as the 4th seed. Marino brings winning form with her into the new season but her successes have been limited the ITF/Challenger level tournaments. The true level of her ability is highlighted by her results at Grand Slam level where she has lost in the qualifiers in her las three attempts and the 1st Round in her 9 appearances prior to that. In contrast, Sun is up to no.40 in the world on the back of a quarter finals appearance at Wimbledon. With the crowd cheering her on, Sun will post a comfortable win.
On paper this should be one way traffic for Osaka but based on her form in recent years, there is no such thing. She failed to win more than three consecutive matches in 2024 and lost numerous matches as a firm favourite in betting. Osaka opened the year by losing 3 of her first 4 matches and facing a qualifier her may not be ideal. Glushko won two tight matches over the weekend to get into the main draw and is playing with house money. She will force Osaka to hit through her and that could lead to a string of unforced errors for Osaka’s racquet. The value play here is to back Glushko to win a set.
Stephens may be a former champion of the ASB Classic (2016) but the last 6 months has arguably been the worst of her career. Lost her last 6 and 13 of her last 15 matches to close out the 2024 season. The manner which she has lost in is the biggest concern with 12 of her las 13 losses coming in straight sets. That created a window of opportunity to both An Li and anyone willing to pay attention. An Li in straight sets is the play.
This is not superstar 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva but her older sister Erika. She will not reach the heights of her younger sibling but that isn’t our concern here. Our focus is to determine whether she can beat Volynets, and the answer is yes. Volynets lost her last three matches and since winning the Markaska Open, a WTA125 event, she has struggled to win back-to-back matches. Erika has posted wins over Shnaider, Yastremska and her younger sister in the last year. Expecting her to climb into the top 50 and it is worth noting that she took a set off Volynets in their only prior meetings almost two years ago. She has progressed significantly since and will likely firm in betting.
Niemeier v Hibino: Niemeier WIN
Stefanini v Tauson: Under 20.5 games
Pera v Jimenez Kasintseva: Pera -3.5
Sun v Marino: Sun -1.5 ($1.91)
Osaka v Glushko: Glushko To Win A Set – YES
Romero Gormaz v Grabher: Grabher WIN
An Li v Stephens: Sets An Li 2-0 ($2.63)
Volynets v Andreeva: Andreeva WIN ($1.85)