Roberto Bautista Agut won the Auckland Classic for his third ATP title yesterday after Jack Sock retired ill while trailing 6-1, 1-0 in the final of the Australian Open warm-up tournament.
Sock had complained of suffering flu-like symptoms when he stunned four-times champion and world No. 8 David Ferrer in the semi-finals on Friday and the 23-year-old American was unable to get around the court to make a contest of the final.
Bautista Agut, whose previous titles came in 2014, when he was voted most improved player on the ATP tour, had reached the title-decider by coming from a set down to upset French second seed Jo Wilfried Tsonga.
Photo: AFP
After starting the match with two double faults, the 26-year-old Spaniard picked up where he left off against world No. 10 Tsonga and raced through the first set in 20 minutes of one-sided tennis against the clearly ailing Sock.
The American lost the opening set of his quarter-final against Kevin Anderson and in his semi against top seed Ferrer, but there was no way back yesterday and he called it quits after losing his first service game in the second stanza.
Bautista Agut, ranked 25th in the world, is to open his fifth Australian Open main draw campaign tomorrow or on Tuesday against Slovakia’s Martin Klizan, who withdrew from this week’s Apia International in Sydney with a shoulder injury.
Sock will be hoping to play his opening round match at Melbourne Park against a qualifier on Tuesday to give him time to recover from the virus.
In the doubles final, Mate Pavic of Croatia and Michael Venus of New Zealand, defeated US pair Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky 7-5, 6-4.
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