The ATP circuit will kick off the second week of its 2026 calendar with the ATP 250 in Auckland, New Zealand, from January 12-17, and will feature several Argentine tennis players. According to the Argentine News Agency (NA), the Albiceleste players who will compete in the oceanic event, a precursor to the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, will be Sebastián Báez, Francisco Comesaña, Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Mariano Navone, and Tomás Etcheverry, all of whom will see action from the first round. Meanwhile, American Ben Shelton, the top seed and the only player in the world's top 10, will also start from the second round against the winner of the match between Comesaña and Frenchman Valentin Royer. While the American is the main candidate to take the title, Norwegian Casper Ruud, Czech Jakub Mensik, and Italian Luciano Darder will also debut from the second round with the intention of taking the crown. Báez will begin his participation in the event against Emilio Nava, while Ugo Carabelli will face Chile's Alejandro Tabilo. Meanwhile, Navone and Etcheverry will debut against Alex Michelsen (USA) and Nuno Borges (Portugal), respectively.
