Mochizuki gets his revenge on Cazaux: Japanese player advances to the round of 16 in Almaty

Shintaro Mochizuki got his revenge against Arthur Cazaux, less than a week after their semifinal match in Jinan.

Fresh off his title at the Jinan Challenger, Arthur Cazaux continued this week with the ATP 250 tournament in Almaty. The Frenchman, ranked 58th in the world, faced Shintaro Mochizuki, whom he had beaten just a few days earlier in the semifinals in Jinan (6-1, 6-2).

Undefeated against the Japanese player since the start of his career, Cazaux hoped to dominate his opponent for the third time in as many meetings. But things didn't go as planned for the 23-year-old player.

Despite 17 winners and only 4 unforced errors throughout the match, Cazaux couldn't convert his two break point opportunities and ran into the efficiency of the Japanese player on return of serve (two break points converted out of three obtained).

Currently ranked 102nd in the world, his career-best ranking, Mochizuki ultimately won in straight sets (6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour 28 minutes of play). The 22-year-old player thus gets his revenge on the Frenchman and advances to the round of 16. For a spot in the quarterfinals, he will face Luciano Darderi, the number 4 seed who received a first-round bye.