Tennis: After a 48-hour match at the Shanghai Masters 1000, Frenchman Terence Atmane loses to Taylor Fritz

Terence Atmane held his own against the No. 7 seed, Terence Atmane. MAXPPP – ETTORE FERRARI

The American Taylor Fritz, No. 7 seed, qualified this Monday, October 7 for the 3rd round of the Masters 1000 in Shanghai by beating the Frenchman Terence Atmane (161st in the world), in two sets, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5), at the end of a match that began… Saturday.

The entire tournament was disrupted by rain over the weekend, with nine second-round matches suspended or canceled, such as the Fritz-Atmane, interrupted at 4-3 in the first leg on Saturday.

Facing the 22-year-old French qualifier, Fritz, a recent US Open finalist, finally won on Monday by bringing his experience to bear in the two deciding games.

“I could very well have lost this match”

“He played really well, and for my part I wasn't “not at my best… I could very well have lost this match” , commented the American. “I just went with it, and showed solidity in most of the important moments”, he added.

In the 3rd round, Taylor Fritz will face another qualifier, the Japanese Yosuke Watanuki (336th).

After the elimination of Atmane, three Frenchmen will compete the 3rd round on Monday: Alexandre Müller challenges the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded No. 10, while Gaël Monfils and Ugo Humbert, seeded No. 16, face off for the honor of facing the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (No. 3), recent winner of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing, in the round of 16.