SHAPOVALOV SIZZLES IN HIS ROGERS CUP OPENER
Canadian star continues host country’s solid start to the tournament in Toronto
A breath of fresh air that Denis Shapovalov.
No “just another game” or, in the case of the 19-year-old tennis sensation, “just another tournament.”
A year after advancing to the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal — followed by an berth in the round of 16 at the U.S. Open — Shapovalov has served notice that participation in his hometown event carries greater meaning.
“Rogers Cup, for me, it’s not another week on the tour,” Shapovalov said on Tuesday night. “It’s a bonus week. I get to play at home. It’s an honour for me to go out there in front of all my fans and just put on a show.
“I’m just going out there and enjoying myself. And I can lose any round.
“Everyone is good. Anyone could beat me on a given day, but the same goes vice versa. I feel like I can beat anyone out there. And like I said, I’m going to try to put on a show and fight for every point and see how far I can take it.”
On Tuesday night, Shapovalov wasn’t required to take it far at all, easily disposing of Jeremy Chardy of France 6-1, 6-4. An aggressive Shapovalov never let Chardy get comfortable and the match was done in one hour three minutes on centre court at the Aviva Centre.
Shapovalov will meet a potentially formidable opponent in the second round in Fabio Fognini, which will mark the first career match between the two. Fognini, of Italy, is ranked No. 14 in the world and won the Mifel Open in Los Cabos, Mexico, last weekend. Fognini started the Rogers Cup Tuesday with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Steve Johnson of the United States.
Earlier, Felix Auger-Aliassime got a rather large watershed moment out of the way. The Montreal native pulled off a major upset, winning his first match against a top-20 opponent when he defeated Lucas Pouille of France, ranked No. 18 in the world, 6-4, 6-3.
Auger-Aliassime turns 18 Wednesday and later in the night in the second round the No. 133rd-ranked player in the world will meet No. 68 Daniil Medvedev of Russia.
“On the court, I’ve improved a lot and I’m moving a lot faster. My returns have improved. I’m still staying aggressive, but a little bit more disciplined. At the same time. I feel like there’s still a lot of room for me to grow.”
Four Canadians — Shapovalov, Milos Raonic, Peter Polansky and Auger-Aliassime — will be in action in singles play Wednesday. And Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil will be competing together in doubles.
Shapovalov’s convincing victory against Chardy fell in line with what his fellow competitors on the ATP World Tour have been saying about the Richmond Hill, Ont., native, who was ranked 26th in the world on the eve of the tournament.
Novak Djokovic, after his firstround singles match Tuesday, was asked about the Canadian pair of Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime, which lost against Djokovic and Kevin Anderson in doubles Monday night.
“The Canadian teenagers are great players,” Djokovic said. “Both of them (are) very lively players, very focused, very disciplined. Physically and mentally strong, very mature for their age.
“Denis is already an established top-50 player and he’s making his way up. Beating (Rafael) Nadal last year at Montreal, it was a big win for him and he had some great matches along the way.
“And Felix, you know, he’s not even 18 (until Wednesday) and playing at this stage and showing some dedication on the court and willpower, which is quite nice to see and refreshing.
“We want to see young players playing well and challenging the best players in the world. I think good days are ahead of both of them.”
And this on Shapovalov from 21-year-old Alexander Zverev, who won the Rogers Cup last year in Montreal and beat Shapovalov along the way: “I still think that out of ’98, ’99s ( birth years), he’s the best one. He still has some development to do. I still have some development to do. I think in the next three or four years this will change. And when we’re all set in our games, I think that’s going to be interesting.”
Rogers Cup, for me, it’s not another week on the tour. It’s a bonus week. I get to play at home. It’s an honour for me to go out there.