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Of the even dozen candidates remaining in the Race, just five -- less than half -- were active this past week. The rest chose to stay fresh for the bigger events. There was a lot of late-week shuffling between the three 250 events, which doesn't usually happen. The biggest one was Benda pulling out of Vienna and entering Stockholm instead, giving Mehul the #2 seed while Hammerstein was the #1 in Vienna. That promised to make what looked to be an easy romp through the tournament much more difficult.
They met in the final as expected, having never played before on an indoor court but Benda holding a 3-1 edge in the head-to-head, all on hardcourt. It was a close match, but Mehul's indoor expertise gave him the edge and he won 7-5, 6-4 to claim the title anyway. It's just his second pro title, and more than a year removed from his first(Japan Open - 500 last year). Hammerstein won Vienna, while Topolski defeated Goncharenko in the Kremlin Cup final which was the best way for it to work out for Anil Mehul -- Goncharenko needed the title to improve his standing in the Race at all. Mehul also slid back up to #10 in the overall rankings though just above Marcek ... they may easily switch places again.
Next up is a pair of 500 events in Valencia, where Mehul will compete against the three Spaniards taking advantage of home court there. Last year he lost narrowly to Prieto in the semifinals. The Swiss Indoors, in Basel, has a slightly stronger field with Elder, Hogue, Topolski, and Goncharenko the top seeds.
Updated Race Standings -- Two weeks left!
In
Iglar -- 11190
Benda -- 11010
Almagro -- 5920
Elder -- 5880
Hogue -- 5640
Alvarez -- 5255
Probable -- The qualification cut line is down to 4640 points this week.
Alvarez is now in, leaving this section empty. The final pair of spots will likely wait until Paris to be filled.
Contenders
Topolski -- 4060
Marcek -- 3935
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Mehul -- 3870
Goncharenko -- 3730
Lots of things could still happen, but it's looking like a horserace between Mehul and Marcek after the title in Stockholm put Anil right back in the thick of things. Marcek couldn't help himself much this week; even another 500 title would only gain him 140 points, while Mehul plays in Valencia and stands to gain 410 points if he wins. He will pass Marcek if he even makes the semifinals which is extremely likely, but that also means he will go into Paris not nearly as fresh as Cestmir will ...
Topolski and Goncharenko, playing in the Swiss Indoors, could also raise their standing quite a bit. Both are fresher than Mehul & Marcek are, so they have that as an advantage. It would take a fairly dramatic turn of events for Topolski to not claim the seventh spot, but he's still less than 200 points clear. And the last one? Any of the three others could claim it. As expected, this looks like it will go right down to the wire. Nobody can afford to falter at this stage.
Long Shots
Hammerstein -- 3560
Prieto -- 3530
Prieto is in Valencia this week, while Hammerstein, after winning Vienna last week, is a lot more tired. He'll rest, and try to make one final desperate push in Paris.
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