This year’s US Open finalist Taylor Fritz finally reached the third round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters after beating French qualifier Terence Atmane 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5).
Both players traded breaks once in the match. Fritz hit 26 winners and six aces.
The match was suspended by rain as Fritz was leading 4-3 on serve in the first set on Saturday afternoon. Fritz completed the 2-hour and 3-minute win on Monday under the roof inside Qizhong Sports City Arena.
Fritz saved the only two break points from 15-40 in the ninth game of the first set. Fritz earned his first mini-break to open up a 2-0 lead. Atmane piulled back on serve to draw level to 3-3. Fritz won four of the next five points with two mini-breaks.
Fritz converted his third break point in the fifth game and held serve at 30 to take a 4-2 lead. Atmane broke back at love to draw level to 4-4.Both players went on serve en route to the tie-break.
Fritz went up a mini-break twice in the tie-break to take a 4-3 lead, but Atmane pulled back on serve both times to draw level to 5-5. Atman pushed Fritz to the limit in the tie-break, but the US player closed out the match with a third mini-break on the 12thpoint. Fritz has improved his winning record to 5-0 in his opening round matches at the Shanghai, but he has not reach the fourth round in his five appearances at this tournament.
Fritz set up a third-round match against Yosuke Watanuki.
“I think his ability to basically hit a winner from anywhere on the court made it very tough. Because sometimes I almost felt like if I wanted to be the aggressor in the rally, I had to go on when I maybe didn’t want to go on. Then sometimes I had to take a more defensive, solid approach to the points, let him pull the trigger, and if he makes it, he makes it. That uncertainty of what if he does make it is always uncomfortable. He was playing really well, serving well on big points, so it’s great to get through that in two sets”, said Fritz.
Frances Tiafoe beat Chinese Zhou Yi 6-2 6-4 to achieve his first win in Shanghai since 2017. Tiafoe broke twice in the third and fifth games to win the first set 6-2. Tiafoe saved a break point in the fourth game of the second set. The US player broke at 15 in the ninth game and served out the win on his first match point.
Tiafoe set up a quarter final match against Roman Safiulin, who beat Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-2 in a match moved to an indoor court because of the rain.
David Goffin came back from one set down to beat Olympic bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-2.
Musetti earned an early break to open up a 2-0 lead in the first set but he had to save a break-back point. To hold serve at deuce. The Italian player went up a double break to race to race out to a 4-0 lead and served out at love in the seventh game to win the first set 6-1.
Musetti broke serve in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead, but Goffin broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Musetti saved a total of five break points in the ninth and eleventh games.
Musetti earned an early mini-break. Goffin won six of the next eight points including two mini-breaks to take a 6-4. Musetti saved two set points to draw level to 6-6, but Goffin earned his third mini-break to win the tie-break 8-6.
Goffin earned an early break in the first game of the third set, but Musetti converted his fourth break-back point to draw level to 1-1. Goffin broke twice in the fifth and seventh games and served out the win on his first match point.
