Ilya Ivashka beat Bernard Tomic 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in Shanghai, turning the match with his returning in the decider. Ivashka won 36 receiver points to Tomic's 22 across the match and was the sharper player on second serve, taking 59% of those points against 43%.
Ivashka broke in the 10th game of the opener to close it at 4-6, then fell behind early in the second as Tomic broke in game one for 1-0 and again in game three for 3-0; Tomic's run of four straight games was the reason he levelled, even though Ivashka hit back in game eight at 5-3. The third set swung on Ivashka's break in the sixth game at 2-4 and another in the eighth to finish it at 2-6.
Tomic's numbers do not tell a losing story everywhere: he actually won more service points overall, 59 to 52, and saved all five break points he faced in the final set. But Ivashka's second-serve return, 17 of 30 for 56%, and his run of seven straight points in the decider were the difference.