Sandgren claims maiden ATP crown

AUCKLAND: American Tennys Sandgren was left speechless Saturday after claiming his first ATP tour title with a comprehensive straight sets win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the Auckland Classic final.

The 27-year-old Sandgren took just 79 minutes to beat Norrie 6-4, 6-2 to round out a remarkable week of tennis without dropping a set. “I’m a little lost for words,” a relieved Sandgren said when a Norrie service return went over the baseline to end the match. “A lot of work, a lot of training, a lot of sacrifice goes into even making a final and to get a win, I’m speechless.”

In a tournament in which none of the seeded players made it to the final four, Sandgren was playing only his second ATP final — having lost in Houston last year — while it was the first for wildcard entrant Norrie. Sandgren said his extra experience counted. “I left that match thinking I played a really good one but I left something on table. Mentally, I wasn’t as good as I could have been so I didn’t want to leave today thinking that I could have been more solid upstairs.”