By the latter stages of the second set in his first-ever meeting with the best player in the world, Shintaro Mochizuki’s kitchen sink had already been tossed into the arena. The Japanese qualifier twice found himself down a break point while trailing 3-4, with Jannik Sinner prowling as he tried to snatch the decisive break.
Mochizuki saved the first break point by throwing down a cunning serve and volley, ending it with a majestic high backhand volley winner, then he scuppered Sinner’s second chance with two more beautiful volleys in succession, effortlessly executing an outlandishly-angled lunging volley to kill the point. He somehow survived the breathless 12-minute service game to keep himself in contention.
