Shapovalov shakes off court change for big win
TORONTO — Denis Shapovalov advanced to the third round of the Rogers Cup on Wednesday, while fellow Canadian Milos Raonic was ousted after rain delays wreaked havoc on the Masters 1000 tennis tournament.
Shapovalov defeated 14th-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini 6-3, 7-5 in a match that was moved from centre court to the grand stand — then interrupted in the first set — after heavy rain hit the stadium on the York University campus in the north end of the city.
Raonic, a former World No. 3 and the 2013 Rogers Cup finalist, lost 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1 to No. 41 Frances Tiafoe in his secondround matchup.
Shapovalov broke Fognini three times in the second set, rallying back from a 4-0 deficit, then held serve for the victory.
The 19-year-old left-hander from Richmond Hill, Ont., will face Robin Haase of the Netherlands in the third round.
The opening match — a 6-3, 6-4 win for four-time champion Novak Djokovic over Canada’s Peter Polansky — was delayed by approximately one hour. The rain started up again with a fury after Djokovic’s one-hour, 25-minute victory, causing further delays and the venue switch for Shapovalov.
He seemed peeved about the move from centre court and sent out a sarcastic tweet that was quickly deleted.
“Got moved to grand stand #welldone #homeevent,” Shapovalov wrote, adding the clapping hands emoji.
At No. 26, Shapovalov is the highest ranked Canadian in the men’s draw. He rose to prominence last year with a stellar run at the Rogers Cup in Montreal that ended with a semifinal loss to eventual champion Alex Zverev.
Shapovalov downed France’s Jeremy Chardy in straight sets in the first round Tuesday evening in front of a packed and
supportive crowd at centre court that included Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and former Ottawa Senators star Jason Spezza.
In front of a packed grand stand on Wednesday, he again put on a stellar display, firing nine aces and winning 82 per cent of his service games.
Raonic, from nearby Thornhill, Ont., had his match against the 20-year-old Tiafoe delayed significantly, then interrupted in the second set with the score tied 3-3.
Raonic came out firing after the delay, breaking Tiafoe’s serve then holding to force a third set. But the Canadian wilted after that, losing serve twice to knock him out of the tournament.
Raonic, known for his powerful serve, had 20 aces but five double faults.
Djokovic, fresh off his fourth Wimbledon title last month, fired seven aces and never faced a break point to oust Polansky, a 30-year-old from Thornhill, in the early afternoon.
Polansky, who’s never made it past the second round at a Rogers Cup., reached a career-high No. 110 in June but entered the week at No. 121.
Earlier in the day, tournament officials announced that Argentine star Juan Martin del Potro had withdrawn with a left wrist injury.