#Trevor Svajda

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The singles action in the Little Rock Challenger then continued with the first semifinal match between Yuta Shimizu, who defeated first-time quarterfinalist and qualifier Rudy Quan 6-4, 6-3, and Nishesh Basavareddy, who continued his post-NCAA form as he straightforwardly defeated wild card Trevor Svajda 6-2, 6-2 in contrast to his ITF loss last March. The first set turned out to show their competitive side, but its ending determined how the second set flowed as it tested their pressure points' handling.

Nishesh started the match convincingly with a backhand pass that equalized the point four points into the first set, but Y. Shimizu successfully held his serves to 1-1. It took two games later before the Japanese made the former pay with his response to Nishesh's drop shot, successfully scoring a forehand winner to set up his game point before holding his serves to 2-2, a time where both players tried to keep the other's balance off. In between the next few games, there was a double fault from Nishesh that created Y. Shimizu's break point, but the American still held the said service game.

The point construction struck again in the sixth game as Y. Shimizu started it with a working backhand lob in response to Nishesh's volley before he held to 3-3 by the end of that game. It took five consecutive games later for Nishesh to try inflicting some damage as Nishesh fired a forehand finish despite Y. Shimizu's best efforts to defend from every side of the court. However, even though Nishesh had an underarm unreturned serve to secure his initial game point, it got foiled before his backhand error secured Y. Shimizu's break point. Ultimately, as if he were Corentin Moutet, Nishesh unleashed another undearm serve only for his backhand error enabling Y. Shimizu to break 6-5.

Nonetheless, the Japanese was unable to serve for the first set as Nishesh tried to redirect, forcing the former to err his backhand 2 points into the game before he got outhit from his forehand side for the break-back (6-6). As a result, the tie-breaker became inevitable, where Y. Shimizu's smash confirmed his mini-break (3-1) before Nishesh's double-fault doubled it (4-1). Even though Nishesh scored a backhand pass in hopes to minimize the gap (4-2), Y. Shimizu still generated his set point from his cross-court backhand pass (6-2). A set point was saved through Nishesh's serve+1 (with a volley finish), but his failed volley in response to Y. Shimizu's pass resulted in the latter taking the first set 7-6(3) to set himself ahead in this match.

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