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Brian Swartz · 10-12-2015, 12:41 PM

Indian Wells Masters

After cruising through the early rounds, Anil Mehul faced off against Gaskell in the fourth and on this particular occasion, got more resistance than he bargained for. After losing a first-set tiebreak, he had to eke out a narrow three-set win that quite frankly he probably didn't even deserve. The American created more chances but was just 1 of 8 in break points while Mehul converted 4 of his 5. It was his third straight win in their matchups with a total count of six out of seven, but the first meeting in a year and a half. Perhaps the gap has closed some ... but he got through.

In the quarters, Perry Hogue is always a tough out and this match could have gone either was as well. After winning a close first set this time, it was Mehul's time to be comeback victim, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. Both had 10 break chances, with Hogue converting four and Mehul only two this time.

The biggest story of the week was the continued emergence of Julian Hammerstein, who made the semifinals and knocked Goncharenko out of the Top 10. It does look as if he's progressed enough to make himself a major factor at the top of the sport this year.

Miami Masters

Once again the 4th round was Mehul's first tough match, this one against Hammerstein where he hoped to repeat his success at the Australian Open. This one was, like the encounters with Gaskell and Hogue only even more-so, a razor-close match that was essentially decided in the first set. Mehul was probably the better player on this day by the slightest of margins, but dropped a tense tiebreak and Hammerstein prevailed 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3. Total points were 99-98 and that's about how close it was. Both players were dominant on serve with only five combined break chances, and it was another good example of just how little separates most of the 'Dazzling Dozen' right now.

Overall, a bit of a disappointing few weeks here for Mehul. Drawing Hammerstein in the fourth round is unlucky, but he's had his share of fortune earlier in the year. To make these weeks a success he really needed to come through against either the Austrian or Hogue, but came up a bit short in both cases.

In Other News ...

Girish Girsh played a couple of Tier-2 challengers and won both, in Kyoto and Rimouski, taking the doubles in the latter as well. Fedor Starovoitov provided the only really stiff resistance, taking their Kyoto semifinal to three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. They met again two weeks later and it was a much more one-sided affair.

Prakash Mooljee had a successful outing at the tier-3 in Osaka, winning in both singles and doubles but it was close. The final against Yenok Abramov was fairly epic and could easily have gone the other way.

10-12-2015, 12:41 PM	#164
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Indian Wells Masters After cruising through the early rounds, Anil Mehul faced off against Gaskell in the fourth and on this particular occasion, got more resistance than he bargained for. After losing a first-set tiebreak, he had to eke out a narrow three-set win that quite frankly he probably didn't even deserve. The American created more chances but was just 1 of 8 in break points while Mehul converted 4 of his 5. It was his third straight win in their matchups with a total count of six out of seven, but the first meeting in a year and a half. Perhaps the gap has closed some ... but he got through. In the quarters, Perry Hogue is always a tough out and this match could have gone either was as well. After winning a close first set this time, it was Mehul's time to be comeback victim, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. Both had 10 break chances, with Hogue converting four and Mehul only two this time. The biggest story of the week was the continued emergence of Julian Hammerstein, who made the semifinals and knocked Goncharenko out of the Top 10. It does look as if he's progressed enough to make himself a major factor at the top of the sport this year. Miami Masters Once again the 4th round was Mehul's first tough match, this one against Hammerstein where he hoped to repeat his success at the Australian Open. This one was, like the encounters with Gaskell and Hogue only even more-so, a razor-close match that was essentially decided in the first set. Mehul was probably the better player on this day by the slightest of margins, but dropped a tense tiebreak and Hammerstein prevailed 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3. Total points were 99-98 and that's about how close it was. Both players were dominant on serve with only five combined break chances, and it was another good example of just how little separates most of the 'Dazzling Dozen' right now. Overall, a bit of a disappointing few weeks here for Mehul. Drawing Hammerstein in the fourth round is unlucky, but he's had his share of fortune earlier in the year. To make these weeks a success he really needed to come through against either the Austrian or Hogue, but came up a bit short in both cases. In Other News ... Girish Girsh played a couple of Tier-2 challengers and won both, in Kyoto and Rimouski, taking the doubles in the latter as well. Fedor Starovoitov provided the only really stiff resistance, taking their Kyoto semifinal to three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. They met again two weeks later and it was a much more one-sided affair. Prakash Mooljee had a successful outing at the tier-3 in Osaka, winning in both singles and doubles but it was close. The final against Yenok Abramov was fairly epic and could easily have gone the other way.