ATP Auckland: Defending champion Monfils exits in the first round, concluding his final appearance in Auckland

On Tuesday local time, Monfils lost to Marozsan in the first round of the ATP250 Auckland tournament 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, completing his "final performance" in Auckland. As the defending champion, the 39-year-old Frenchman began his farewell journey for the 2026 season here, the same place where he won last year and made history by becoming the oldest player to win an ATP Tour title since 1977.

Photo of Monfils

Monfils first appeared in Auckland in 2007, saying: "I have many wonderful memories here. I started playing here when I was very young. I was 20 the first time I came, and now I’m over 40... It’s been a long journey. It’s an honor to play here; this is a country with a great culture. I’m lucky to have won this title. Auckland holds a special place in my heart."

Last week, Monfils’ wife, Svitolina, won the WTA250 title in Auckland. At the award ceremony, Svitolina said: "Before the match, he told me it would be amazing if we both won the same tournament. I kept thinking about that."

For Marozsan, Tuesday’s victory marked his second win over Monfils in Auckland, leveling their ATP head-to-head at 2-2. The Hungarian player will face the second seed, Ruud, in the second round. On the same day, Mickelson and Giron also advanced smoothly and will meet in the next round for an all-American clash. Mickelson, who reached the semifinals in Brisbane last week, came back from 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 to defeat Navone, while Giron, a semifinalist in Hong Kong, beat Miller with two 6-2 sets.

In the second round matches held this morning, top seed Shelton secured his first win of the 2026 season by defeating Komesana 7-5, 6-4. Fourth seed Tabillo came from behind to beat wildcard Chilean player Tabillo 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. French player Pericard narrowly defeated fifth seed and two-time finalist Norrie 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4).

(Text and editing by Wang Fei, photos courtesy of Visual China)