Bengaluru: Shintaro Mochizuki doesn’t boast of a powerful serve. Plus his groundstrokes lack the power to trouble his opponents. However, World No. 167 makes up with his retrieving skills as he stuns you with his athleticism on the court. Add to it, the precision of his returns and superb volleying skills, the 21-year-old emerges as a tough player to beat.
On Saturday, the seventh seed came up against James McCabe in the semifinals of the Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger. Mochizuki brought his ‘A’ game to the KSLTA stadium to thwart the Australian’s booming serve and baseline play to prevail 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and 23 minutes. The 2019 junior Wimbledon champion will battle for the title against America’s Brandon Holt, who secured a straight set 6-2, 7-6 (4) win over lucky loser from Great Britain, Billy Harris later in the evening.
The Mochizuki-McCabe contest kept the spectators on the edge of their seats. At times, even the Australian was left in awe when his opponent had answers to everything that was thrown at him. The way the first set progressed, it looked like a cakewalk for Mochizuki, who broke his opponent’s serve thrice to clinch it in 37 minutes. But, it was the quality of tennis, which was produced by the two youngsters which captivated the audience for the next 106 minutes.
McCabe, who was egged on by the fans, cranked up his serves. But Mochizuki was up for it. However, the Japanese serve was finally broken when his forehand went wide to help the Australian take a 4-3 lead. After a love-game in the eighth, McCabe, who hit four aces in the set, clinched the final game to force the match into a decider.
One could sense the momentum shift, but Mochizuki fought back to make it 2-0 as McCabe made some unforced errors. It was even-steven after the sixth game when the Japanese player’s serve was broken. With both players playing high-quality tennis, it could have been anybody’s game. The tenth game proved decisive as a combination of Mochizuki’s volley and a fine pass coupled with his opponent’s errors signalled victory for the Japanese.
Chandrasekar-Ho pair Triumphs
In doubles, India’s Anirudh Chandrasekar and Ray Ho of Chinese Taipei clinched the title. The top seeded Indo-Chinese Taipei pair claimed a 6-2, 6-4 win over second seed Blake Bayldon and Mathew Christopher Romios of Australia in the final.
Results: Singles (semis): 7-Shintaro Mochizuki (Jpn) bt James McCabe (Aus) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4; Brandon Holt (USA) bt Billy Harris (GBR) 6-2, 7-6 (4). Doubles (final): Anirudh Chandrasekar (Ind)/Ray Ho of (Tpe) bt Blake Bayldon/Mathew Christopher Romios (Aus) 6-2, 6-4.