Michael Venus is the new national men's tennis champion, the top seed downing second seed Rubin Statham in the singles final in Auckland to earn a valuable main draw wildcard for January's Heineken Open.
New Zealand tennis player Michael Venus. Photo: Photosport
Venus and Statham were forced indoors at Albany due to the poor weather that also interrupted Saturday's women's decider, won by Sacha Jones over Katherine Westbury.
Venus came back from a set down in a three-set thriller to 4-6 6-1 6-4, handing Statham his second runner-up finish in as many years.
Second seeds Finn Tearney and Wesley Whitehouse upset top-seeded duo Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak to claim the men's doubles title 3-6 7-5 10-5.
