In Shangai, China for the next Challenger tournament, Greg is required to go through the qualifying rounds, due to the recent drop in his singles ranking to worse than 340, and win three matches in order to play in the main draw. Seeded for the qualifying rounds, Greg's first opponent was 20 year-old Chinese player Yu Cheng Li, currently ranked 881.
Serving first Greg had little trouble holding his serve in the first set, but was forced to save a break point along the way. He was however unable to make any in-roads into Yu Cheng's serve, dominating the rallies but not being able to finish off the point, and the first set went all the way to the tie-break at 6-6. Greg fell behind early in the tie-break and changed ends 2-4 down. He immediately broke back to level and then go ahead 5-4. Yu Cheng served and levelled at 5-5 but Greg broke him again to bring up set point and serve out the tie-break 7-5 and win the first set 7-6.
Yu Cheng started the second set confidently, serving well and going 30-0 up. Greg, having been given a wake up call, increased his concentration and started making some better returns, constructing the point much better and finishing them off, winning the next four points to break Yu Cheng and go 1-0 up. Greg held easily to go to 2-0, then 3-1 up. Greg continued the intensity and broke Yu Cheng again from 0-30 down to go a double break up at 4-1. He then came back from 0-30 down to get to 5-1, before breaking a now beaten Yu Cheng a 3rd time in the set to win the set 6-1 and the match 7-6(5), 6-1.
Greg served well but did not compete well in the first set. He knuckled down and eaked out a win in the first set, serving even better in the second set but competing at a much increased level, which he needs to do from the start of the match.
One match down, two to go...
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