Basavareddy, 19, adds name to piece of American history with Auckland QF win

American Nishesh Basavareddy is making a splash at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

The #NextGenATP star downed countryman Alex Michelsen 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday to become the youngest American to reach a tour-level semi-final on hard courts since an 18-year-old Reilly Opelka in 2016 (Atlanta).

Basavareddy, who last month fell to Michelsen in a round-robin match at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, was aggressive on return, producing clean ballstriking to advance after one hour, 42 minutes. The teenager won 52 per cent of second-serve return points, compared to eighth seed Michelsen’s 33 per cent, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I didn’t serve great in the first set and he served really well, so it got away from me quickly. But I made some adjustments and I’m happy that I turned it around,” Basavareddy said. “It means a lot. This is one of my first ATP Tour events and to make a deep run gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”

Having entered the week at a career-high World No. 133 and advancing through qualifying, Basavareddy's quarter-final win moves him up to No. 106 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Basavareddy upset defending champion and second seed Alejandro Tabilo in the second round. He will next meet Frenchman Gael Monfils, who defeated Argentine lucky loser Facundo Diaz Acosta 6-3, 6-1 after dropping just five points behind his first serve.

Monfils, who also reached the semi-finals in Auckland in 2013, beat Basavareddy last week in the Brisbane first round in what was their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. Aged 38, Monfils is the oldest Auckland semi-finalist in the Open Era.

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.

In other action, Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs moved past Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 to advance to his maiden tour-level semi-final. The 25-year-old is up four places to No. 62 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and would rise to a career high on Monday if he advances to the final. Bergs will next meet Portugal's Nuno Borges.

The seventh seed Borges earned a hard-fought 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-6(4) victory against #NextGenATP Czech Jakub Mensik to reach his second ATP Tour semi-final. The 27-year-old, who won his maiden tour-level title in Bastad last year, is the first Portuguese player to reach the last four at a tour-level event on hard since Joao Sousa in Pune in 2022.

"It was an amazing atmosphere throughout the whole match," said Borges, who is the only seed left in the draw. "I had a little bit of luck and a lot of belief. These matches sometimes don't go your way but when you are believing and your body is handling it and you keep staying positive, anything can happen. I knew it was going to be a tough challenge and I was ready for that."

Mensik was aiming to reach his third ATP Tour semi-final. The 19-year-old, who competed at last month's Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, was the youngest Auckland quarter-finalist since Rafael Nadal advanced to the final in 2004.