All-Canadian match on tap at Madrid Open

Raonic, Shapovalov set for showdown

MADRID — Milos Raonic defeated third-seed Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday at the Madrid Open to set up an all-Canadian third-round match with teenager Denis Shapovalov.

Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., fired 12 aces and only faced break point twice in the 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Dimitrov. It was Raonic’s second win in five career matches with the Bulgarian, who is currently ranked fourth in the world.

Raonic, ranked 24th on the ATP Tour, faces Shapovalov on Thursday in the first meeting between the Davis Cup teammates.

Shapovalov, the world No. 43 from Richmond Hill, Ont., hit 38 winners to defeat France’s Benoit Paire 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted just over two hours.

In other early matches, 11th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut beat Jared Donaldson 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4 in a first-round encounter and Robin Haase ended a fourmatch losing streak by beating Hyeon Chung 6-2, 6-0.

In women’s play, top-ranked Simona Halep reached the third round by beating Elise Martens 6-0, 6-3.

Halep converted her fifth match point to win her 14th straight match in Madrid and stay on track for a third consecutive title in the Spanish capital.

The 16th-ranked Mertens had been playing great tennis this year but struggled from the start at the Magic Box, ending with 31 unforced errors and five double faults.

The Belgian player was coming off an impressive 13-match winning streak, with titles in Morocco and Switzerland. She also won in Hobart this year and reached the Australian Open semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Caroline Wozniacki.

Halep will next face Kristyna Pliskova, who defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5, 6-2.