Anderson starts well in Auckland

Cape Town - South Africa’s top tennis player, Kevin Anderson, on Wednesday won his opening match at the Auckland Classic event in New Zealand.

Anderson, seeded fourth at the ATP World Tour 250 event, beat Robin Haase of the Netherlands in a tight encounter 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/5).

Anderson, who had a bye in the first round, will next face Jack Sock in the quarter-finals after the American beat Canada’s Vasek Pospisil 6-2, 6-4.

Anderson will be delighted to come through his first match in Auckland, after he was forced to pull out of last week’s event in Chennai, India with a knee injury.

Should Anderson beat Sock, he is likely to face top seeded David Ferrer from Spain in the semi-finals. Ferrer will play the Czech Republic’s Lukas Rosol in the quarter-finals.

Anderson, currently ranked at No 12 on the official ATP world rankings, enjoyed a stellar 2015 by breaking into the world’s top 10 for the first time and also reached a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open when he defeated Britain’s Andy Murray in the Round of 16.