Shanghai Masters 1000, Matteo Arnaldi in the third round

Masters 1000 Shanghai, Matteo Arnaldi in the third round

Matteo Arnaldi advances to the third round of the Shanghai Masters 1000. The 23-year-old from San Remo, world number 36, beat U.S. Zachary Svajda, number 131, in a comeback with a score of 6-7 6-2 6-4 in just over two and a half hours of play.

In the first set the two protagonists always hold serve but there are many break points on both sides: Arnaldi misses three, including two consecutive, in the first game, saves two in the sixth, misses another in the seventh and three more in the very long 11th game. The tie-break is dominated by Svajda, who flies to 5-1 and then wins it 7-2.

The 21-year-old Californian goes ahead by a break immediately in the first game of the second set but immediately loses the lead. Arnaldi concretizes his chances more and to two more breaks, in the fourth and the concluding eighth game of the partial set, lengthening the match.

The third set è very balanced: there are no break points until 4-4, here Arnaldi saves two consecutive ones, keeps the serve and in the next game misses a first match point but the second è the good one. Now the Azure will face most likely the Russian Daniil Medvedev, engaged with the Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild.