■Shintaro Mochizuki was shown how different the ability of the 19th ranked player is. Mochizuki used his footwork to absorb his opponent's strong strikes and take the points. He landed his signature backhand right at the line. Still, it was Ugo Humbert who dominated the game from beginning to end. His groundstrokes were flexible and consistent. Mochizuki commented on his opponent's stroke, saying, “It may look like he's hitting strongly but he is incredibly persistent. He doesn't make many mistakes, and he comes into the net on the short balls.” I was often at a disadvantage in the baseline exchanges, and was unable to lead the play to use my strengths at the net.

■The opponent was also better at serving. Mochizuki's point winning rate on first serve was sluggish at 56% compared to Humbert's 75%. “I especially felt the difference on the shot after the serve. Even on the second serve, he took the point on the third shot." he said, struggling with his opponent's fast attack.

■Although he made it to the top four in last year's tournament, once the 180 points he earned expires, his ranking will drop significantly. However, Mochizuki says, “I don't care about rankings.” This is because I had a bitter experience when I was too aware of this. "I was putting so much pressure on myself that it was painful, or rather, it was overwhelming." Although the current situation is not exactly as he envisioned, he is concentrating on improving his game, saying, “I hope I can accept it and build on it again.”