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Brian Swartz · 08-27-2015, 11:44 PM

Madrid Masters

Anil Mehul had a scare right away, as he was pushed to three sets in the opening round by journeyman qualifier Pavel Bestemianov(RUS, 58th). Bestiamianov is better than his ranking would indicate, but Mehul controlled the final set 6-2 to avoid losing in the first round for the second year in a row here. He lost just a game against another qualifier, then met with David Almagro, the first-ever meeting between the two. Almagro is one of the best clay players in the world despite being 29, and after a close first set he took the expected 7-5, 6-2 win. The Spaniard went on to reach the final, where he played Benda as well as anyone these days can on clay.

Making the round of 16 on clay is a solid result, so there's nothing to be worried about here. As a side note, Julian Hammerstein, who hasn't done much this year, made his way to the semifinal. I've been very surprised that he's seemed to sort of fall by the wayside: it's partly due to struggling against the best nations in the top level of the WTC, but this might rejuvenate his season.

Rome Masters

Another testy first-rounder brought Mehul a matchup with Perry Mockler(USA, 24th). They've played only twice: a hardcourt match won by Mehul last year, while Mockler handled him easily in their clay meeting but that was six years ago in juniors. Much has changed since then, but the American is good enough to be a threat on this surface. That wasn't an idle concern; he made the most of his chances, pushing through to a first-set tiebreak before Anil took the match 7-6(4), 6-3. Former world no. 4 Fabian Graff was next, fairly easily dispatched as he's now well into his 30s. Mick Elder loomed in the third round, and he laid the smack down 3 & 1. Ah well -- like in Madrid, he couldn't really expect to beat a player of that caliber on clay, and he did make the third round again.

With Alastra not defending his title here last year(the one clay win he had over Benda), he plummets past Mehul and out of the Top 10, allowing Mehul back in. Another big tournament for Alvarez who made the final, with Benda the expected champion to snag his 6th Masters Shield, tops among active players(Elder has 5, Alastra had 8) and maintain his lead over Iglar. Alvarez is becoming a major threat to make the tour finals though, and Mehul needs to keep adding to his total. It was a decent couple of weeks, getting through the tough first-rounders made it a success for him. On to Roland Garros!

Meanwhile, Girish Girsh was in Fergana for a final tier-2 challenger before he goes to France as well. He absolutely flattened all in his path, failing to lose more than two games in any set! There were quality players there, but none of them well-prepared at all going in. Not much competition, but his third challenger title assures him of staying in the Top 100 after a runner-up finish drops off next week -- in the meantime, he's temporarily up to a career-high of 84th.

08-27-2015, 11:44 PM	#115
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Madrid Masters Anil Mehul had a scare right away, as he was pushed to three sets in the opening round by journeyman qualifier Pavel Bestemianov(RUS, 58th). Bestiamianov is better than his ranking would indicate, but Mehul controlled the final set 6-2 to avoid losing in the first round for the second year in a row here. He lost just a game against another qualifier, then met with David Almagro, the first-ever meeting between the two. Almagro is one of the best clay players in the world despite being 29, and after a close first set he took the expected 7-5, 6-2 win. The Spaniard went on to reach the final, where he played Benda as well as anyone these days can on clay. Making the round of 16 on clay is a solid result, so there's nothing to be worried about here. As a side note, Julian Hammerstein, who hasn't done much this year, made his way to the semifinal. I've been very surprised that he's seemed to sort of fall by the wayside: it's partly due to struggling against the best nations in the top level of the WTC, but this might rejuvenate his season. Rome Masters Another testy first-rounder brought Mehul a matchup with Perry Mockler(USA, 24th). They've played only twice: a hardcourt match won by Mehul last year, while Mockler handled him easily in their clay meeting but that was six years ago in juniors. Much has changed since then, but the American is good enough to be a threat on this surface. That wasn't an idle concern; he made the most of his chances, pushing through to a first-set tiebreak before Anil took the match 7-6(4), 6-3. Former world no. 4 Fabian Graff was next, fairly easily dispatched as he's now well into his 30s. Mick Elder loomed in the third round, and he laid the smack down 3 & 1. Ah well -- like in Madrid, he couldn't really expect to beat a player of that caliber on clay, and he did make the third round again. With Alastra not defending his title here last year(the one clay win he had over Benda), he plummets past Mehul and out of the Top 10, allowing Mehul back in. Another big tournament for Alvarez who made the final, with Benda the expected champion to snag his 6th Masters Shield, tops among active players(Elder has 5, Alastra had 8) and maintain his lead over Iglar. Alvarez is becoming a major threat to make the tour finals though, and Mehul needs to keep adding to his total. It was a decent couple of weeks, getting through the tough first-rounders made it a success for him. On to Roland Garros! Meanwhile, Girish Girsh was in Fergana for a final tier-2 challenger before he goes to France as well. He absolutely flattened all in his path, failing to lose more than two games in any set! There were quality players there, but none of them well-prepared at all going in. Not much competition, but his third challenger title assures him of staying in the Top 100 after a runner-up finish drops off next week -- in the meantime, he's temporarily up to a career-high of 84th. Last edited by Brian Swartz : 08-27-2015 at 11:45 PM.