Help assembling a golf net, pipe slightly bent

[Shindig]

I finally got around to ordering a net to hit into in my golf room.  Earlier this afternoon, I set to assembling it... and sure enough, I can't.  I sent a note about this problem to the company, but today is Saturday and maybe there's an easy fix someone on here knows.  

The net is this:  https://www.thenetreturn.com/collections/golf-nets/products/golf-mini-series-net?variant=631219461 .  I'm hoping to be able to hit into it in the near future.

In putting together some pieces, one of the pipes seems every so slightly deformed in such a way that I can't interlock it with its related piece.   On the picture that most clearly shows my hand, it is at about 2:30 or 3 in the image where the deformity occurs.  I have not done anything to alter this -- just took it out of the box this afternoon.

Since many of you are much better with tools and such than I am, I wonder if there's an easy way to fix this that doesn't involve asking the company that made this to send out a replacement piece.  It's still under warranty, so I guess they might send out a replacement piece anyway.

[iacas]

I’d flex it out with a thick dowel or something.

[Valleygolfer]

I don't know what kind of leverage you can get on it to bend it out. The problem is that the other piece has tight tolerances and if it isn't a pretty good circle, fitment can be tough. I will give you an option though. 

This is a pipe expander for exhaust. It might work and you can generally rent tools at autozone for cheap. Comes in different sizes. 

[David in FL]

At the risk of compounding the problem, as a last resort, a hammer tap or two on the male part to create a matching deformation might allow for a fit...

[J M Brown]

I’m not sure how rigid those pieces are but you  could possibly tap it back round with a hammer. You may even be able to bend it back round with a pair of channel locks. Just a thought. 

[Shindig]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts.  Some of them I had to read more into because I'm that bad at this sort of thing.  I appreciate everyone's suggestions and will check back with my updates. 

[Shindig]

I wanted to provide an update:  the company that makes the net sent me a replacement part.  It arrived yesterday and I finished assembling the net today and hit a few practice shots into it.