Southpaw vs Southpaw

Shang managed to give us a very good match against Etcheverry shortly into his comeback from injury...

We saw Bellucci in action in Winston-Salem, with a good match against a very bad Comesana. His next match against Munar was pretty much a disaster, with Munar's ability to put balls over and over really bothering him. Bellucci only really knows how to play one way, with a lot of aggression, energy, and pace. When that does not work, there is no plan B. Shang's first match back against Duckworth was a bit rough, with some pain in his foot and a lot of "rust". However, his second match against Etcheverry was very good, and we saw a lot of the Shang we know. I've always enjoyed watching Shang play... he has a really good offensive game, moves around the court (especially hardcourt) very well, and I find him quite smart on the court in his decisions. His weaknesses include questions about his fitness (especially now that he has returned from injury), and sometimes he can let his emotions get the better of him.

When I saw this match in the draw, I immediately thought of Shang's matches against Shelton a few years back. Shang leads the H2H 3-0 against Shelton, all on hardcourt and all quite dominant wins. Shelton has evolved as a player, but back then, he was a player who won his matches primarily through his serve and attacking tennis. Yes, those are still his strengths, but his rally tolerance and variety have improved significantly. And while Bellucci's serve is not as formidable a weapon as Shelton's, similarities can still be observed, including a lack of a Plan B and a focus on offense. After a few wins, I was expecting a better performance against Munar, but it was just the same old Mattia, and that greatly worries me for him in this match. Since Shang has not played much since coming back from injury, and the fact that Bellucci at least had some wins, there could be a decent price on Shang here!