Ivashka Outlasts Tomic in Shanghai as Challenger Round of 16 Delivers Late Drama
Ilya Ivashka came through a three-set test against Bernard Tomic in Shanghai on a day of Challenger last-16 action that also produced a commanding win for Anna Blinkova over Nadia Podoroska in Barranquilla and a string of tight finishes across the clay in Tulln, Genova and Cassis.
Anna Blinkova76
Nadia Podoroska51- 3
- Aces
- 2
- 4
- Double faults
- 8
- 64%
- 1st serve in
- 60%
The most watchable duel of the reported schedule came on the hard courts of Shanghai, where Ilya Ivashka needed three sets to see off Bernard Tomic 6-4 4-6 6-2. Ivashka controlled the opening set, lost the thread in the second as Tomic found rhythm on his own serve, then reasserted himself decisively after the interval, conceding just two games in the decider. It was the kind of professional recovery that separates the tour-hardened from the merely talented at this level.
Elsewhere in Shanghai the pattern was cleaner. Luca Castelnuovo edged Tung Lin Wu 7-5 6-4, breaking late in a first set that had run on serve, while Yi Zhou got past compatriot Jie Cui 7-6 6-4 after a tense opener. Nam Ji S. was the most economical of the group, dismissing Denis Yevseyev 6-2 6-2 in a match that never looked like turning.
On the clay in Tulln, the standout result belonged to Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva, who beat Thiago Monteiro 6-3 6-4 in an all-Brazilian meeting, using depth from the baseline to keep the more experienced Monteiro pinned behind the line. Home interest survived through Lukas Neumayer, who recovered from losing a second-set tie-break to overwhelm Juan Manuel La Serna 7-5 6-7 6-1, but not through Filip Misolic: the Austrian was blown away in the opening set by Mika Brunold and, despite forcing a tie-break to level, fell 6-1 6-7 6-2. Gustavo Heide completed the quarter-final picture by beating Diego Dedura Palomero 6-1 7-5, saving his best tennis for the closing games of the second set.
Genova produced its own upheaval. Enrico Dalla Valle recovered from a first-set tie-break loss to eliminate Stefano Travaglia 6-7 6-1 6-4, while Thiago Seyboth Wild needed to break the resistance of Massimo Giunta before winning 7-5 6-3. The day's unhappiest note came when Hugo Dellien retired against Matej Dodig at 5-3 down in the first set.
In Cassis, Robin Bertrand delivered the most emphatic scoreline of the day, brushing aside Raphael Perot 6-1 6-0. Mark Lajal ground out a 6-7 6-3 6-4 win over Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg, and Moez Echargui survived the day's longest examination, beating Billy Harris 7-5 1-6 7-6. Nicolai Budkov Kjaer advanced past Yanis Ghazouani Durand 6-1 7-6.
On the women's side, Anna Blinkova was ruthless after a competitive start, beating Nadia Podoroska 7-5 6-1 in Barranquilla. In Antalya, Maria Lourdes Carle (6-1 6-2 over Eva Vedder) and Alicia Herrero Linana (6-3 6-2 against Ane Mintegi Del Olmo) were similarly efficient, while Rositsa Dencheva survived a three-hour-style grind against Francesca Jones, 7-6 5-7 6-4. Fiona Ferro kept her Montreux run going with a controlled 6-4 6-4 defeat of Barbora Palicova.
Tomorrow the focus lifts to Flushing Meadows, where the US Open semi-finals pit Aryna Sabalenka against Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff against Elena Rybakina, with Alexander Zverev meeting Karen Khachanov and Frances Tiafoe facing Ben Shelton in an all-American men's semi-final.
