Pavel Kotov beat Tallon Griekspoor in the round of 128 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on hard courts in Shanghai: 6:4, 7:6(4). The win sent Kotov through to the next round.
Decided in a tiebreak
Kotov took the opening set without a tiebreak. The opponents reached a tiebreak in the second set, which Kotov also won to finish the match without a deciding set.
According to api.tennis, Kotov’s run in Shanghai began in qualifying. He needed a deciding set to beat Martin Damm Jr.: 7:6, 6:7, 6:3. Kotov then beat Aleksandar Vukic: 6:3, 6:3.
Kotov had already beaten Griekspoor in their previous meetings: in Stockholm in 2024, 6:4, 6:3, and at the Australian Open in 2023, 6:3, 7:6, 6:3. Griekspoor won their meeting in Stockholm in 2023, 7:6, 6:2.