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Second Week
Six of the top eight made the quarterfinals, with rising stars Cirakovic(19th) and Niklas(27th) quite notable exceptions. The first was easy straight-setted by Girsh, while the second gave Iglar a match for the second straight tournament, but lost in four. Gustavo Caratti ended the USA's dim hopes by stopping Gaskell, but the one match really worth watching was Anil Mehul against Mugur Kinczllers. This one stood out to me even when the draw was first released. Kinczllers is typically at his best on hardcourts, though he's had a rough time of it recently, and lately you never know how much of his game Mehul will have. The Italian took a couple of close sets early, but eventually relinquished the lead. Early in the fifth he took control though, and Anil could never seriously threaten in the decider. He falls well short of defending his title though his effort in the comeback cannot be questioned. 7-5, 7-6(5), 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 was the final score. He missed some chances in the first two sets, and that was his opportunity to win this. At the end, Kinczllers was the better player.
Girish Girsh lost a set for the first time this tournament in his semi, but Kinczllers went out in four. It really wasn't even as close as that would indicate, he just lost his focus for a bit. Iglar knocking out Gustavo Caratti in straight sets surprised basically nobody. For the third time in five weeks, Antonin Iglar was the opposition for a big final. Very little changed. Iglar's serve remained his biggest weapon(23 aces to 12), but didn't give him quite enough edge to offset his declining abilities in other areas. Girsh puts an undeniable stamp on the fact that he is alone at the top of the sport now with a 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory. His fourth Slam overall but third on the year, this ends any doubt that he'll remain at the top well into next season at the very least.
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