Published: January 12, 2026 at 5:11 pm
Sebastian Baez maintained his perfect start to the 2026 season on Monday at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where he rallied past American qualifier Emilio Nava 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the second round.
The Argentine won all three of his singles matches at the United Cup last week, including victory against Top 10 star Taylor Fritz. The seventh seed was pushed to his limits in his Auckland opener against Nava but produced enough quality in the final stretch, including several stunning lobs, to advance in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.
The No. 39 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will next play Jenson Brooksby after the American beat New Zealand wild card James Watt 6-4, 6-3. Brooksby reached the semi-finals in Auckland in 2023.
Cameron Norrie grew up in Auckland and made a winning start this week at the hard-court tournament, beating Hugo Gaston 6-3, 6-4. British lefty Norrie, who advanced to the final in Auckland in 2019 and 2023, will play Roberto Bautista Agut or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the second round. He holds a 9-4 record at the tournament, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Francisco Comesana downed Valentin Royer 6-4, 6-4 to set a clash with Ben Shelton, while Eliot Spizzirri defeated World No. 69 Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-3 for the biggest win of his career by PIF ATP Ranking.
Salisbury engaged to girlfriend Natalie Haden-Scott
Joe Salisbury poses with his fiancee Natalie Haden-Scott. Photo: Joe Salisbury
Joe Salisbury is engaged to girlfriend Natalie Haden-Scott. The doubles star shared the exciting news on social media Friday.
“Best day of my life ❤️,” Salisbury wrote in an Instagram post that featured a picture of the couple.
Salisbury last competed at the Nitto ATP Finals with Neal Skupski in November, where the pair lost to Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten in the championship match.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTS9IBUjDKp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
The No. 10 player in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings finished the 2025 season with a 46-22 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
