[Brian Swartz]

World Tour Finals Preview

Girsh beat Iglar in the Paris final, 7-6(1), 7-5, and now holds a strong grip on the top spot. It is his 6th Masters. It's not totally over yet though. The final Race standings:

Girish Girsh -- 11,520
Antonin Iglar -- 10,620
Gustavo Caratti -- 9,520
Anil Mehul -- 9,025
Pierce Gaskell -- 4,470
Mugur Kinczllers -- 4,385
Bjorn Benda -- 3,910
Theodore Bourdet -- 3,655

Girsh doesn't need to win the tour finals to stay at #1 through the end of the year, but he does need to make the championship match to guarantee that will happen regardless of what Iglar does. Mehul will probably need to get there himself if he wants to finish third, which is not all that important but it still gives him something to play for definitely.

** Girish Girsh is looking for his first WTF title in his fourth appearance, having lost the final the last two years. It would seem to be his time, and he certainly wouldn't do his chances of hanging onto the #1 spot for a while longer any harm by breaking through here.

** Antonin Iglar is returning for his eighth go-round. He was a finalist or champion(3 times) for five straight years, but lost in the semis last year.

** Anil Mehul has also won it three times. This is his seventh appearance.

** Gustavo Caratti is back for his second try after losing in the group stage last year. Whether he's improved enough to do better than that remains to be seen.

** Bjorn Benda has the longest active streak; this is his ninth showing although he hasn't made it out of group play the last couple times. This is very much an 'honorary send-off' for the 32-year-old, a final good-bye to his days of challenging the very best in the game.

** Pierce Gaskell is in his 5th run here, making the semifinals each time. He's always done unexpectedly well; we'll see if that pattern holds.

** Mugur Kinczllers lost in group play last year and is back again for another try. I'd expect the same result.

** Theodore Bourdet is the lone newcomer this year. Like Mehul and Girsh, he's put a lot of work on the indoor courts. If he ends up in the same group as Caratti, he could well advance to the semifinals. In either case, the top Frenchman is definitely a sleeper threat here that should not be taken lightly.

Girsh is the favorite here, with Iglar and Mehul basically co-challengers. Bourdet is the long-shot, though a lot of things would need to break his way for him to have a real chance.