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Brian Swartz · 06-05-2015, 07:39 PM

Shanghai Masters

Anil Mehul's draw really illustrated where he is in the tennis world right now. He could lose in the first round, or go deep, with each round presented the promise of a closely-fought challenge for him to navigate. First up was a rematch with Gries, who he'd beaten in the St. Petersburg QF. This was the German's best surface though, and he wasn't as worn as he had been then. Each set was decided by an early break, with Gries taking the first and Mehul coming back to take the second and an early lead in the third. The next two service games for him decided the matter, he had to fight off a break chance in each but pulled through, 3-6,6-3, 6-3.

Another player trying to move up waited in the second round, 13-seeded David Alvarez of Spain. He's one of a group of four players fighting to be in the Top 10 and separated by just 105 out of about 3500 points each. At this point of their respective careers it's pretty much a dead heat between these two. The main difference is, Alvarez would be highly favored on clay as he's a specialist on the dirt, but hardcourt or indoor and Mehul probably has the upper hand. That's the way it played out, with a tight 7-5, 6-4 win moving him on to the third round.

It's the third time in the last few months(Olympics, Canada Masters) that he's reached the final 16 at a big event. He lost on both of those occasions. Providing the obstacle here was world no. 6 Oliver Challenger, who had recently annihilated Chittoor in the second round at the USO. Mehul had never played him before. For the past couple of years, Challenger has been the best of the players who didn't quite have enough to challenge the Big 3, then Big 4, and now Big 5 with Benda joining the top tier of those competing for #1. Nearing his 29th birthday now, Challenger is starting to show his age and slide down towards the rest of the pack. He still figured to have a modest edge in strength and mental toughness to get him through, but an upset was not out of the question.

A slow start dropped the first three games, and while Mehul pushed hard a couple times he only had one break chance in the first set, missing it. After having to save a pair himself in the third game of the second set, he finally broke through and got Challenger's serve in the fourth game, though it took four more chances to do it. The American veteran found another gear at that point, rattling off four straight and eventually taking the match 6-3, 6-4. Challenger is still clearly the better player.

It was another solid result that should keep Mehul solidly in the mid-30s or thereabouts heading into the final big event of his personal season in Paris three weeks from now. There's a logjam right now with spots 28-37 separated by only 105 points, and the situation is very fluid. Three chances to make the quarters, and all denied so far.

The tournament as a whole showed how topsy-turvy things are at the top of the sport. Many of the top players lost sets early, including no. 5 Bjorn Benda, the closet thing there is right now to a player ready to subject the tour. World no. 1 Mick Elder was sent packing in the third round with surprising ease by Goncharenko, 6-2, 6-3. The post-Gorritepe era is defined more by chaos than any one dominant player. For a year or so Alastra was that guy, but no more. Any one of several players has a chance at winning the big events -- or going out early. In the end another blow was struck for the old guard, with no. 3 Almagro topping second-ranked Alastra in the final. Mehul temporarily cracked the Top 30 at a career-high 29th -- I say temporarily because next week the first of the two challenger titles from last year will drop off and he'll be back down to the mid-30s or so again.

In England, Girsh finally met his match -- barely -- in the final of his tier 1 futures event when he lost to fatigued American Joseph Skirrow in a tight third-set tiebreak. Skirrow is a player to remember, as he's 2-3 months younger than Girsh and looks like he may well prove a potential rival and foil years down the road. Girsh will have another futures event next, and probably his first challenger before the year is out.

06-05-2015, 07:39 PM	#31
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Shanghai Masters Anil Mehul's draw really illustrated where he is in the tennis world right now. He could lose in the first round, or go deep, with each round presented the promise of a closely-fought challenge for him to navigate. First up was a rematch with Gries, who he'd beaten in the St. Petersburg QF. This was the German's best surface though, and he wasn't as worn as he had been then. Each set was decided by an early break, with Gries taking the first and Mehul coming back to take the second and an early lead in the third. The next two service games for him decided the matter, he had to fight off a break chance in each but pulled through, 3-6,6-3, 6-3. Another player trying to move up waited in the second round, 13-seeded David Alvarez of Spain. He's one of a group of four players fighting to be in the Top 10 and separated by just 105 out of about 3500 points each. At this point of their respective careers it's pretty much a dead heat between these two. The main difference is, Alvarez would be highly favored on clay as he's a specialist on the dirt, but hardcourt or indoor and Mehul probably has the upper hand. That's the way it played out, with a tight 7-5, 6-4 win moving him on to the third round. It's the third time in the last few months(Olympics, Canada Masters) that he's reached the final 16 at a big event. He lost on both of those occasions. Providing the obstacle here was world no. 6 Oliver Challenger, who had recently annihilated Chittoor in the second round at the USO. Mehul had never played him before. For the past couple of years, Challenger has been the best of the players who didn't quite have enough to challenge the Big 3, then Big 4, and now Big 5 with Benda joining the top tier of those competing for #1. Nearing his 29th birthday now, Challenger is starting to show his age and slide down towards the rest of the pack. He still figured to have a modest edge in strength and mental toughness to get him through, but an upset was not out of the question. A slow start dropped the first three games, and while Mehul pushed hard a couple times he only had one break chance in the first set, missing it. After having to save a pair himself in the third game of the second set, he finally broke through and got Challenger's serve in the fourth game, though it took four more chances to do it. The American veteran found another gear at that point, rattling off four straight and eventually taking the match 6-3, 6-4. Challenger is still clearly the better player. It was another solid result that should keep Mehul solidly in the mid-30s or thereabouts heading into the final big event of his personal season in Paris three weeks from now. There's a logjam right now with spots 28-37 separated by only 105 points, and the situation is very fluid. Three chances to make the quarters, and all denied so far. The tournament as a whole showed how topsy-turvy things are at the top of the sport. Many of the top players lost sets early, including no. 5 Bjorn Benda, the closet thing there is right now to a player ready to subject the tour. World no. 1 Mick Elder was sent packing in the third round with surprising ease by Goncharenko, 6-2, 6-3. The post-Gorritepe era is defined more by chaos than any one dominant player. For a year or so Alastra was that guy, but no more. Any one of several players has a chance at winning the big events -- or going out early. In the end another blow was struck for the old guard, with no. 3 Almagro topping second-ranked Alastra in the final. Mehul temporarily cracked the Top 30 at a career-high 29th -- I say temporarily because next week the first of the two challenger titles from last year will drop off and he'll be back down to the mid-30s or so again. In England, Girsh finally met his match -- barely -- in the final of his tier 1 futures event when he lost to fatigued American Joseph Skirrow in a tight third-set tiebreak. Skirrow is a player to remember, as he's 2-3 months younger than Girsh and looks like he may well prove a potential rival and foil years down the road. Girsh will have another futures event next, and probably his first challenger before the year is out.