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Shanghai
Anil Mehul did even worse this time out in doubles, losing to a qualifying tandem 10-5 in a super TB. Ah well. Shyam Senepathy qualified in singles, then lost to Mackenzie 6-2, 7-6(7) in the first round. Not a bad showing really.
(11) Milos Schmucker was crushed by Varas 6-2, 6-1 in the opening round, while (9)Valentin Rosenberg lost narrowly to Nikitin as well. That's a statement win for the young Ukrainian finally, and the draw opens up just a bit early on. The carnage would continue with Prakash Mooljee crashing out in his first match next, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to Besson. Just flat-out got beat by an inferior player, nothing else really to say there. After making the QFs or better at 20 straight Masters events, Mooljee has failed to do so there of the last four. That there is a pattern. Panter also got a scare, but none of the other favorites lost at the same stage.
In the third, Alexey Nikitin kept it going with a comeback, 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 win over Piazzola. Zarco, Fangio, and Teng were all pushed the distance but survived. It was the rising prodigy as the lone surprise with everyone else who reached the quarterfinals among the Top 10. Kaspar cruised along crushing Sigmund Kronecker, while Teng sent [b]Guus Dircx[b] home a bit early, 7-6(5), 6-2. Zarco had a competitive two-set win over Nikitin, and Ritwik Dudwadkar met his first real resistance, surviving over Gillo Fangio 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Good win for him, third in their past four meetings.
In the semifinals, Hsuang-tsung Teng played quite credibly with Kaspar still prevailing 6-4, 6-4. Rather surprisingly, Dudwadkar cruised through Martin Zarco in the second match, breaking a three-match losing streak. Into his third Masters final of the year, he found the same result as the other two; Mateo Kaspar wins, 6-2, 7-5. Still a fine week for him.
Sushant Chiba stepped up to the tier-2 futures, and won an indoors event in Luxembourg, losing in the first round of doubles. His smooth progress continues.
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