ASB Classic quarterfinalist Magda Linette is desperately seeking new restaurants to try as her run at the tournament continues.
A self-confessed foodie, the Polish No 5 seed carefully plans in advance which restaurants she’ll go to when she enters a tournament.
She has already sampled some of Auckland’s best dining spots, but with her run at the ASB Classic continuing to at least Friday, Linette admits the planning gets harder the deeper she goes and she’s seeking out recommendations.
On court, Linette booked her place in the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 7-5 2-6 6-3 win over Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in challenging conditions on Thursday.
Reflecting on the match, Linette said specific moments stood out as decisive.
“Definitely, how I started the first set, came back and ended it, and then how I finished the third set,” she said. “Those three moments I thought, were really the key that I found my game. I really hope that next time I can keep it for longer.”
With the ASB Classic marking the beginning of the season, Linette said her focus was less about results and more about translating training work into match situations.
“Well, honestly, my goals right now are really not result-based,” she said. “It’s more to move whatever I’m doing in practice, to a stressful situation during a match.
“I thought I had those moments today where I wanted to be, and I just really hope that I can keep it for longer, and I can keep it for the whole match.”
Away from the court, Linette’s attention quickly turned back to food, admitting she was still undecided about dinner plans after Thursday’s win.
“So yesterday, we went to Bossi, I don’t have anything for tonight,” she said, before noting she had already visited Amano twice during the week.
While she is known for planning her dining schedule in advance, Linette said that only stretches until the matches begin to stack up.
“I plan up to Monday,” she said. “It’s so tough later on with the schedule and the matches.
“But really, I plan all those days leading up to the matches, and then I try to either come back or find something else when there is any availability on a website.”
Asked to rank her favourite so far, Linette was clear.
“Well, Amano is number one for now,” she said. “Yesterday was great.”
Linette will return to Centre Court on Friday aiming to extend both her Auckland campaign, and her search for the city’s best restaurants.