Arthur Gea beat Jakub Mensik 7:6, 6:4 in the round of 16 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The win sent the Frenchman into the quarterfinals of the ATP 1000 event, which is being played on hard courts in Shanghai. The match ended in straight sets, according to api.tennis.
Tiebreak in the first set, 6-4 in the second
Neither player came out on top in the first set during regular play: it ended 7:6 and went to a tiebreak, which Gea won. The Frenchman then closed out the second set 6:4, making a third set unnecessary. Mensik had not dropped more than one set in a match during the tournament, but here he did not win a single one.
There is a noticeable gap between the players in the rankings. According to rank.tennis, Gea is ranked 45th with 1177 points. Mensik, the 13th seed, is 14th with 2500 points.
Their paths to the round of 16 were different. Gea played three sets in each of his first two matches in Shanghai, against Jaime Faria and Ugo Humbert, before beating Ben Shelton in straight sets, both decided by tiebreaks. Before facing the Frenchman, Mensik beat Miomir Kecmanovic and Francisco Cerundolo.