Shapovalov pulls off a great escape
Denis Shapovalov showed why he’s regarded as the future of Canadian tennis as he fought off four match points in a second-set tiebreaker and outlasted Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil 4-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 in the first round of the Rogers Cup on Tuesday.
“It was a bit stressful, but the crowd pulled me through,” the 18-year-old from Toronto, who has reached the second round in each of the past two years, said. “I hope we can keep it going.” Next up for Shapovalov is Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion. That match will be on centre court following Roger Federer’s match against Toronto’s Peter Polansky, set for a 12:30 p.m. start.
This wasn’t a vintage serving game for the left-handed Shapovalov. He put only 50 per cent of his first serves into play, but he came up with the big shots when he needed them. He had four of his 12 aces in the tiebreaker and ended the match with a wide service winner that forced Dutra Silva off the court.
Shapovalov took control of the deciding set when he broke Dutra Silva’s serve for a 4-3 lead. The Brazilian fell behind 40-15 and Shapovalov ripped a backhand winner for the break.
Shapovalov had to dig deep to survive the second-set tiebreaker. He fell behind 3-0 before delivering a pair of aces. Dutra Silva had two match points at 6-4, but an unforced error erased one point and Shapovalov pulled even with a half-volley drop shot for a winner.
An unforced error and an ace by Shapovalov allowed the Canadian to save the other match points and Dutra Silva double-faulted to give Shapovalov a 10-8 win in the tiebreaker. Shapovalov wasn’t the only player who had to dig deep for a spot in the second round. Pablo Carreno Busta, the 11th seed from Spain, outlasted Karen Khachanov of Russia 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, while ninthseeded David Goffin of Belgium beat Yuichi Sugita of Japan, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
American Sam Querrey needed 18 aces and three sets to eliminate French qualifier Vincent Millot, while Korean Hyeon Chung beat Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.