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Now with the hardcourt season and US Open completed, the tour goes indoors for the last stretch of the season. This is the last part of the season, and the last chance for the top players to qualify for the prestigous season-ending Championships, the Federer Masters Cup. For the first time, a race rank system will decide the 8 qualifiers. This focuses on the larger events in the calendar. Players use the points they gained from the Grand Slams and Tier 1 events, plus their 5 best events below Tier 1 level. It is almost certain that the world's top two players Vanessa Child and Yodavitch will qualify, but 6 other places are still wide open.
Right after the US Open, one of the last outdoor events of the year took place in Hamburg. Normally a small event without great draws, the Haas Outdoors attracted a stella draw this year, featuring three top 10 players aswell as the world numbers 11 and 12. In a fiercely competitive tournament, top seed and world number 4 PSALT emerged victorious, winning three 3-setters in a row. Coming in off his best ever US Open run (a semi-final), he gained another confidence booster in Hamburg. He beat the world's best Canadians in his last two matches. He outlasted the world number 12 x.doublea 6-3 4-6 6-2 in the SF, and then beat the Canadian number 1 stevos 5-7 6-4 6-4 in the final. Despite losing in the final, stevos can still be pleased with his recent form. He also had a great US Open, demolishing Jennacourt on his way to the QF. In the SF of this event, he beat 2nd seed dav6789 7-5 5-7 6-4.
At the Ljubicic International the following week, world number 3 NEA defended his title. He had convincing wins over former French Open champion J-man in the QF, and 3rd seed Jennacourt in the SF. In the final, he led Yodavitch 6-4 3-0 before the world number 2 retired due to back problems. It is not sure how serious the injury is yet. Although he didn't complete the match, it was sweet revenge for NEA after suffering multiple losses during the hardcourt season, most recently at the US Open.
NEA was the top seed at the Sharapova Cup, but couldn't repeat his Zagreb win over J-man in the QF. J-man played his best tennis for a long time and went all the way to win the Tier 1 title, his biggest since the French Open in Season 3. In the final, he beat x.doublea 6-2 3-6 7-5. x.doublea was another who produced his best tennis for a while. He avenged his loss a few weeks before to PSALT for the loss of just 5 games, then beat 5th seed Jennacourt 4-6 7-5 6-3. There were first round upsets for 4th seed Tricatrina (who lost to Jbors47), 5th seed dav6789 (who lost to Avolt) and 6th seed stevos (who lost to leftys_rock).
In lower tier events since the US Open, the argument about top players entering tier 4 events resurfaced again. At the Denmark Tennis, Jbors47 cruised to the title without losing a set. Jbors, who recently peaked in the top 10, was ranked way ahead of 2nd seed Benchwarmer1. There was a surprise with world number 8 Bizet entering the South Africa Indoors, and even more surprise that he lost his first match 6-4 6-2 to Tennis Fan. The American went onto win the title, beating Benchwarmer 7-5 7-5 in the final. Phobe, who has spent most of her career in the top 10, won the Brazilian Open last week.
