Shapovalov advances at Australian Open
Canadian Denis Shapovalov advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday.
It’s the first main-draw win at the Australian Open for the 18-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont.
Shapovalov won 57 per cent of his first service points and converted on 5-of-8 break points. He also had nine aces and 33 winners.
“I think I played extremely well today,” Shapovalov said in his post-match press conference. “I felt from the warmup that I was feeling the ball really clean and I was able to get the lead right from the start. I thought maybe he would start off tight and that’s what happened and I was able to maintain it really well.”
Shapovalov rocketed up the ATP standings last year, starting at No. 250 and reaching a careerbest No. 49 over the summer.
He reached the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal in August, becoming the youngest semifinalist at a Masters 1,000 event, then followed that up by reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
Shapovalov said that experience may have helped him against the 82nd-ranked Tsitsipas.
“Maybe I have a little more experience. I went deeper in the Grand Slam in New York and I was bringing back a couple old memories playing the few Grand Slams that I have,” he said. “But definitely I felt from the beginning maybe I’d be more comfortable and that’s what happened.”
Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil dropped a 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5) decision to sixth-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia.