Shapovalov survives tough opener in Lyon

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov rallied for a 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over France’s Ugo Humbert in the second round of the Lyon Open on Wednesday.

The No. 3 seed from Richmond Hill, Ont., was two points away from losing the match on serve in the second set before beginning his comeback at the French Open tune-up event on clay.

Humbert, ranked 61st, was coming off a win over Cameron Norrie of Britain in the opening round, while Shapovalov got a bye as a seeded player.

Meanwhile, Toronto’s Steven Diez lost 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a second-round match.

Shapovalov, 20, will face French veteran Benoit Paire in the quarter-finals today.

No. 4 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal will meet American Steve Johnson in another quarter-final today.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Rebecca Marino advanced to the second round of French Open women’s singles qualifying with a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5 win over France’s Tessah Andrianjafitrimo.

The Vancouver native, ranked No. 147 in the world, rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the third set, saving two match points in the process.

A former top-40 player, Marino, 28, returned to full-time play last season after taking a five-year break from the sport.

Marino will face world No. 135 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the second round of qualifying today.

On the men’s side, Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., lost 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2) to France’s Alexandre Muller.

Qualifiers must win three matches to gain berth into the main draw.

Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., and Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., have already secured spots in the women’s main draw, while Thornhill’s Milos Raonic, Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov are in the men’s main draw.