2026 ASB Classic Auckland ATP Entry List: Shelton, Ruud, Mensik & more
NewsWednesday, 17 December 2025 at 11:50
The 2026 ASB Classic in Auckland will be the 48th edition of this ATP 250 event, and the entry list didn't disappoint once again.
The ASB Classic in Auckland is one of the tournaments that attracts plenty of great players every year. Although the tournament organizers have it a bit more difficult than those organizing tournaments in Brisbane and Adelaide, which are much closer to Melbourne, where the Australian Open is held, they still manage to attract plenty of talent every year.
Over the years, the likes of Bjorn Borg, Roy Emerson, and Rod Laver won the trophy in Auckland. The tournament was not held in 2021 and 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned in the past three seasons, with Richard Gasquet, Alejandro Tabilo, and Gael Monfils lifting the trophies.
Monfils will return as the defending champion, but he needed a wild card to enter the tournament. The 39-year-old Frenchman will retire from the sport in 2026. He is not the only veteran who received a wild card, as Stan Wawrinka will play in Auckland, too.
The ATP 250 tournament in Auckland runs from January 12th to 17th, and even though Monfils and Wawrinka both have plenty of experience, there will be other favorites in the draw. Ben Shelton will be the top seed and probably also the top favorite to win the trophy. He was one of the first players announced for the event, and it seems that the American really enjoys Auckland.
"For me it's been great preparation, great matches, and a place that I feel comfortable. I think that to start the year it's nice to be somewhere that you're comfortable and feels like home. I enjoy playing there. And I've played well in the Australian Open after that tournament, and it's one that I'd like to keep coming back to."
Casper Ruud will be the second seed in Auckland, and he, too, announced his participation well ahead. The Norwegian player also enjoys exploring new countries, and he enjoyed his previous stays in New Zealand, even though he has yet to win a main-draw match at the ASB Classic.
"It is a really nice tournament. We had a really good time. You do not get many chances to go to New Zealand and it is a cool country and great tournament."
There is one more Top 20 player who will compete in Auckland. Jakub Mensik reached the quarter-finals in 2025, beating Shelton along the way, and he will hope to repeat or improve on that result in 2026.
The rest of the players field will want to challenge for the title as well. For Cameron Norrie, this is a special event as well. Although he was born in South Africa and currently represents Great Britain, he represented New Zealand from 2009 until 2013 and had lived in the country since he was three. His parents lived there until 2023, when they moved to the United Kingdom.
The likes of Luciano Darderi, Alex Michelsen, Lorenzo Sonego, and big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will also want to prove they have what it takes to lift the ASB Classic trophy.
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2026 ASB Classic Auckland ATP Players Entry List:
| Seed | Name | Entry Ranking |
| 1 | Ben Shelton | 9 |
| 2 | Casper Ruud | 12 |
| 3 | Jakub Mensik | 19 |
| 4 | Luciano Darderi | 26 |
| 5 | Cameron Norrie | 27 |
| 6 | Alex Michelsen | 38 |
| 7 | Lorenzo Sonego | 39 |
| 8 | Alexandre Muller | 42 |
| Sebastian Baez | 45 | |
| Nuno Borges | 47 | |
| Camilo Ugo Carabelli | 49 | |
| Fabian Marozsan | 51 | |
| Jenson Brooksby | 53 | |
| Valentin Royer | 58 | |
| Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | 59 | |
| Tomas Martin Etcheverry | 60 | |
| Francisco Comesana | 61 | |
| Aleksandar Kovacevic | 62 | |
| Gael Monfils | (WC) | |
| Stan Wawrinka | (WC) |
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