Ajeet Rai had two break points in the second game of his singles semi-final against Makoto Ochi in Carrara this afternoon, but the Japanese left-hander saved both before losing his serve after the deuce. Rai held again to consolidate the break, and neither player lost more than one point on their serve in the remaining games in the set, which took 37 minutes.
There was just one break of serve in the second set as well, but that didn’t come until the eighth game, when Rai lost a game point with a double fault and lost the next two points as well. Ochi had to save two break points at 15-40 in the tenth game, and another after the first deuce, but he was able to win the three points he needed to hold serve, and that clinched the set after 55 minutes.
The final set followed the pattern set earlier when there was only one break of serve. That came in the fifth game, when Rai was able win just one point. He had a chance to break back in the eighth game, but couldn’t convert the opportunity. The tenth game was the final chance for Rai to get back level, and he had break points before and after the first deuce, but Ochi eventually held serve after the fifth deuce. That completed the match after two hours and 41 minutes, the final score being 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.