Scouting Report: Americans Paul, Korda, Shelton feature across Adelaide & Auckland

The January action on the ATP Tour heats up this week with a hard-court ATP 250 doubleheader in Adelaide and Auckland, where some top American stars will seek to kick-start their 2025 season.

Tommy Paul and Sebastian Korda lead the field at the Adelaide International, where hometown favourite and former champion Thanasi Kokkinakis will also compete. At the ASB Classic in Auckland, Ben Shelton is the top seed.

ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ADELAIDE
1) Top Seed Paul: Tommy Paul begins his bid to back up the most successful season of his career by competing as the top seed in Adelaide. The 27-year-old, who is at a career-high No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings, won three titles in 2024. He will take on Roman Safiullin or a qualifier in his opening match in Adelaide, where his best previous showing is a semi-final run from 2020.

2) Can Korda Get Over The Line In Adelaide?: Sebastian Korda was on the brink of lifting the Adelaide trophy in 2023 before Novak Djokovic rallied from championship point down to earn a thrilling three-set final triumph. After a semi-final run in 2024, Korda will aim for another strong showing this year as the second seed. It will be the 24-year-old’s first tour-level event since the US Open following elbow surgery in October.

3) Lehecka, Felix Threats: Defending champion Jiri Lehecka and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime will hope for deep runs in South Australia. Lehecka defeated Korda and Jack Draper en route to his maiden ATP Tour crown in Adelaide a year ago and arrives following a final run in Brisbane. Auger-Aliassime beat Taylor Fritz last week at the United Cup and is aiming to win his first ATP Tour title since 2023. The 24-year-old starts against countryman Denis Shapovalov.

4) Kokkinakis Among Home Hopes: Local support has inspired Kokkinakis in Adelaide before: The hometown hero lifted his maiden tour-level crown in the city in 2022. This year, the 28-year-old arrives as the No. 77 in the PIF ATP Rankings and on a five-match winning streak on Australian soil after he claimed an ATP Challenger Tour title in Sydney in October. Christopher O’Connell, Aleksandar Vukic and Li Tu are the other Aussies (not including qualifiers) in the draw.

5) Arevalo/Pavic Start Their Season: The 2024 Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF team of Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic begins its season as the top seed in Adelaide, where Arevalo is a former champion (2023 w/Rojer). Nitto ATP Finals titlists Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz are the second seeds in a draw that also includes Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori and Harri Heliovaara/Henry Patten.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN AUCKLAND
1) Shelton Chases Third Tour Title: Ben Shelton has lifted an ATP Tour trophy in each of the past two seasons, and the American will aim to clinch a 2025 crown at the earliest opportunity when he lines up as the top seed in Auckland. A semi-finalist in 2024, Shelton will begin his campaign against #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik or Alexandre Muller, the latter of whom will contest the Hong Kong championship match on Sunday before heading to New Zealand.

2) Tabilo Defending Champ: Alejandro Tabilo launched the best season of his career so far with a dream run to the trophy as a qualifier in Auckland a year ago. The Chilean lefty, who racked up a 32-27 record in 2024 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, returns to New Zealand this year as the second seed. Tabilo will take on a qualifier or lucky loser in the opening match of his title defence.

3) Taste Of Home For Norrie: British star Cameron Norrie grew up in Auckland and retains strong emotional ties with the city. That connection was on full display when he shed post-match tears after falling to Richard Gasquet in the 2023 championship match. After opening 2025 with a quarter-final run in Hong Kong, Norrie will hope to deliver another strong week at one of the tournaments he calls home.

4) Mpetshi Perricard On The March: It has not taken Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard long to make his mark on 2025. In Brisbane, the 21-year-old Frenchman downed Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe and the fast-rising Mensik en route to the semi-finals. The big-serving Mpetshi Perricard now heads across the Tasman Sea to Auckland, where he will play Buyunchaokete on his event debut.

5) Mektic/Home Hope Venus Lead Doubles Field: Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus defeated the starstudded duo of Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios to start their 2025 season in Brisbane. Now, the pair heads to Venus’ homeland to compete as the top seeds in Auckland. Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni are the second seeds at the ATP 250.