Atmane withdraws, Blanchet falls short: two French players eliminated in first round at Shanghai Masters 1000
From hopes of qualification to disillusionment: Terence Atmane and Ugo Blanchet failed to shine at the Shanghai Masters 1000.
During the first round of the Shanghai Masters 1000, two French players were on court early this Thursday. Terence Atmane and Ugo Blanchet were both matched against Argentine players, facing Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Francisco Comesaña respectively.
World No. 61 Atmane was coming off a semifinal appearance in a Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. But this time, it was completely different. Ill and not at 100% of his physical capacity, the 23-year-old Frenchman chose to throw in the towel at 4-4, 0-30 in the first set.
This situation benefited Ugo Carabelli, who advances to the second round without having to exert himself. The world No. 45 will face Alex De Minaur, a recent semifinalist at the ATP 500 in Beijing, for a spot in the round of 16.
Meanwhile, Ugo Blanchet, who came through qualifying after victories against Te Rigele (6-4, 6-3) and Christopher Eubanks (6-4, 6-4), was challenging Francisco Comesaña. The Argentine, ranked 62nd in the ATP, was coming off a second-round loss at the US Open against Cameron Norrie and a defeat in the Davis Cup against Jesper De Jong in mid-September.
After a tight first set, Blanchet cracked at 4-4 before losing in two sets (6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour 30 minutes). In his second main draw appearance at a Masters 1000 after his debut loss to Roman Safiullin in Toronto this year, the 26-year-old Frenchman, ranked 151st in the world, will have to wait longer to secure his first win in this tournament category.
For a spot in the third round, Comesaña will face Lorenzo Musetti, who was forced to retire in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing last week against Learner Tien.
Shanghai 
