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Rome Masters
Senepathy got a wild card here ... and was dismissed by #15 Andres Guardado, taking three games. So much for that. The doubles weren't as kind, with Mehul/Kroese getting upset in a super TB in the quarterfinals, 10-5. Consistently getting to at least the semis is important for them, so this was a setback even if clay isn't their forte. And Ujjaval didn't even show up ... mumblegrumble.
Lots of casualties early on. Browne once again lost his first match, this time to a qualifier!! Luc Janin did as well, and that's far less justifiable as he's a good clay player. Tight match there against Sigmund Kronecker. A couple other seeds were out by the end of round two as well. In the third, Kronecker claimed another scalp(#16 Milos Schmucker), and Kakirov lost again with Tomas Niklas doing the honors in a tight match that went the distance. Most stunningly, Juan de los Santos exited courtesy of youngster Benno Duhr(AUT), 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6). Heck of a match, and the 22-year-old Duhr is climbing ...
Only half of the top eight made the quarters, and a pair of unseeded players were here as well. For those at least, it was a potentially career-defining opportunity. The powers that be re-established themselves though, with the top-ranked players advancing easily in every match. The semifinals were more competitive though. Gillo Fangio pushed Kaspar to three before falling apart in that final set. For the second straight week, Martin Zarco lost to Mooljee, but this one was 6-3, 6-4 ... a lot closer. Three clay masters, and the same final matchup each time. It's officially a trend. It was no contest, with Mateo Kaspar saving all four break points against and winning 6-2, 6-3. That gives him the momentum heading into Roland Garros.
Sushant Chiba tallied another singles/doubles title pair in tier-4 Harare(Zimbabwe). Not much drama for him at this level, and he's gradually getting a bit more competitive against players in his own ranking range.
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