Auckland R2 previews and predictions: Michelsen vs. Sonego, Struff vs. Monfils

Quarterfinal spots in Auckland will be handed out on Wednesday, when No. 8 seed Alex Michelsen continues his campaign against Lorenzo Sonego. Jan-Lennard Struff and Gael Monfils are also taking the court.

(8) Alex Michelsen vs. Lorenzo Sonego

Michelsen will get a chance to avenge arguably his worst match of 2024 when he faces Sonego during second-round action at the ASB Classic on Wednesday. They most recently faced each other in the Winston-Salem final, which Sonego dominated 6-0, 6-3. A clay-court contest–on a surface that favors Sonego–in the spring was much more encouraging for Michelsen, who battled to a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 loss.

The tide figures to turn in Auckland, as Sonego was mediocre at best last season (aside from his Winston-Salem title) and has been unspectacular so far in 2025. The 54th-ranked Italian, who has not compiled a single-season winning record on outdoor hard courts since 2019, lost to Cameron Norrie in the Hong Kong second round and needed a third-set tiebreaker to get past Gabriel Diallo on Tuesday. Michelsen enjoyed a day off after beating Sumit Nagal in an extremely high-quality three-setter on Monday. Count on the 20-year-old American getting revenge in this one.

Pick: Michelsen in 2

Jan-Lennard Struff vs. Gael Monfils

Struff and Monfils will also be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers on Wednesday–although this will be their first matchup in seven years. Both of their previous encounters have gone Monfils’ way; 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-1 at the 2014 French Open and 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on the hard courts of Doha in 2018.

Now 38, Monfils is down at No. 52 in the world. The Frenchman is still playing decent tennis when healthy, but to say that he is past his prime would be an understatement. Monfils was pushed to 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 by Pedro Martinez on Tuesday, while Struff destroyed Bu Yunchaokete 6-3, 6-4. The 42nd-ranked German struck 13 aces compared to just one double-fault and won 84 percent of his first-serve points. If he serves well again in round two, Struff should be on his way to the quarterfinals.

Pick: Struff in 3