Taylor Fritz of the U.S. hits a shot in the men's singles match against Terence Atmane of France at the Shanghai Masters in east China's Shanghai Municipality, October 7, 2024. /CFP
Taylor Fritz of the U.S. overcame French player Terence Atmane 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to secure an opening victory in their resumed men's singles match at the Shanghai Masters in east China's Shanghai Municipality on Monday.
After a rain delay on Saturday, the match resumed with Fritz leading 4-3 on serve. Following a tiebreak win in the first set, the American aimed for a swift victory by extending his lead to 4-2 in the second set. However, Atmane demonstrated resilience, pushing the contest into another tie-break, which Fritz ultimately won.
"I think his ability to basically hit a winner from anywhere on the court made it very tough," Fritz said. "Because sometimes I almost felt like if I wanted to be the aggressor in the rally, I had to go on when I didn't want to go on."
Zhou Yi of China hits a shot in the men's singles match against Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. at the Shanghai Masters in east China's Shanghai Municipality, October 7, 2024. /CFP
No. 13 seed Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. defeated home player Zhou Yi 6-2, 6-4 to reach the third round. He scored two break points in the third and fifth games in the first set and then held to clinch the set, leading 1-0 in the match.
The second set was much closer and was tied 4-4 after eight games. Zhou then suffered a break in the ninth and failed to return the favor in the 10th, losing the match and exiting the tournament.
"This was my first time playing a top-20 player," Zhou said. "In the second set, I felt I could hold on during long rallies, but the experience makes the difference, which allowed him to win so easily."