Juan Pablo Varillas (ATP rank No.67) could not. The Peruvian made his debut at the Shanghai Masters 1000 this Thursday against Sebastian Ofner (No.58) in search of a spot in the second round. But he did not advance.
It was 7-6 (3) and 7-6 (6) for the Austrian in two hours and eight minutes of play in China.
Despite already having experience in Grand Slams, for the Peruvian, winning in a Masters 1000 is still a pending task. This year he made his debut in the main draw in this category and has not yet achieved a victory: he was eliminated in the first round in Miami, Madrid, and Rome as well. Varillas now has a record of 13-19 this season.
On the other hand, Ofner, a 27-year-old Austrian, is still in great form: he reached the semifinals in Astana. It is worth noting that the standout performance of his career came this year at Roland Garros, where he reached the round of 16. However, his season has been marked by a strong presence in Challenger-level events.
The winner of this match will now play against Tommy Paul, who as a seeded player will start competing in the next round. The tournament (October 4-15), in addition to awarding 1000 points to the champion and 600 points to the runner-up, will distribute a prize money of 8,800,000 dollars, making it the largest in this category alongside Miami and Indian Wells.
Check out the main draw of the Shanghai Masters 1000.