Kentaro Masuda defeated Yasufumi Yamamoto 7-5 7-5 in the Japan Masters 2 round of 32 on hard. The upset overturned the form book — Yasufumi Yamamoto came in leading the head-to-head 7–2. Kentaro Masuda narrowed the head-to-head to 7–3.
| Date | Tournament | Round | Surface | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-11-17 | Japan 2 Masters 1 | F | hard | Yasufumi Yamamoto | 0-6 6-2 6-4 |
| 1997-11-17 | Japan 2 Masters 4 | QF | hard | Kentaro Masuda | 6-7 6-3 6-2 |
| 1997-11-17 | Japan 2 Masters 3 | R16 | hard | Yasufumi Yamamoto | 3-6 7-5 6-4 |
| 1996-06-09 | Japan 1 Masters 2 | R16 | hard | Yasufumi Yamamoto | 1-6 7-5 6-4 |
| 1996-06-09 | Japan 1 Masters 4 | QF | hard | Yasufumi Yamamoto | 6-3 6-4 |
| 1995-07-23 | Malaysia 2 Masters 1 | SF | hard | Yasufumi Yamamoto | 6-2 6-4 |
| 1995-06-19 | China Masters 1 | R32 | hard | Kentaro Masuda | 7-6 6-0 |
| 1993-11-08 | Japan Masters 3 | QF | hard | Yasufumi Yamamoto | 6-1 1-6 6-1 |
| 1993-11-08 | Japan Masters 1 | F | hard | Yasufumi Yamamoto | 6-2 6-1 |
Averages over each player's completed matches in the selected window (1 vs 2). ATP, WTA & Challenger.
Each player's serve crossed against the other's return, converted to expected hold of serve. Recent completed matches, ATP, WTA & Challenger. Small sample — read as indicative. About