{"id":110758,"date":"2017-08-09T01:30:30","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T05:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=110758"},"modified":"2017-08-09T01:30:30","modified_gmt":"2017-08-09T05:30:30","slug":"canadas-shapovalov-beats-dutra-silva-to-advance-into-second-round-at-rogers-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/08\/09\/canadas-shapovalov-beats-dutra-silva-to-advance-into-second-round-at-rogers-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada’s Shapovalov beats Dutra Silva to advance into second round at Rogers Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"After<\/a>
After dropping the opening set, Shapovalov’s margin for error was slim. (PHOTO BY Shapovalov WM17 (14)<\/a>, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MONTREAL\u2014 Canadian Denis Shapovalov admits the epic tiebreak that propelled him into the second round of the Rogers Cup is still \u201ca little bit of a blur.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 143rd-ranked Shapovalov survived four match points in a second-set tiebreak on his way to a 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-4 victory over the 64th-ranked Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil in the opening round on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t remember all of them, honestly,\u201d said Shapovalov, who was granted a wild-card spot in the tournament. \u201cI wasn’t holding back. I just told myself, ‘He’s got to win it from me. I’m not going to give it to him.’<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I did a good job to stay tough out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

After dropping the opening set, Shapovalov’s margin for error was slim.<\/p>\n

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native’s comeback looked unlikely when he quickly fell behind 3-0 in the second-set tiebreak. He fired back-to-back aces to give himself a fighting chance.<\/p>\n

Down 6-4 \u2014 the first match point \u2014 Dutra Silva made an unforced error. Now 6-5, Shapovalov hit a clever drop shot just out of his opponent’s reach. On the third match point, Dutra Silva sent his backhand long. Down 8-7, Shapovalov hit his sixth ace of the set to fend off elimination for the fourth time.<\/p>\n

With the Canadian now in front 9-8, Dutra Silva double faulted to give Shapovalov the second-set victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m sure he felt the crowd getting on him,\u201d said Shapovalov. \u201cAfter every match point I saved, they went pretty crazy. It adds to the nerve for the other guy. They were so alive, so intense.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the third set, Shapovalov fired four aces. He broke Dutra Silva to take a 4-3 lead in the set and never looked back.<\/p>\n

On triple match point, Shapovalov fired a serve that handcuffed Dutra Silva. The 18-year-old dropped his racket and threw his arms in the air as the centre court crowd at Uniprix Stadium erupted in cheers.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously after the breaker, I felt the momentum was shifting towards my way,\u201d said Shapovalov. \u201cI thought if I could get an early break, it would help me. I think I played really good tennis in the third set.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s the second straight year that Shapovalov has advanced into the tournament’s second round after beating Nick Kyrgios during his opening match in 2016 in Toronto.<\/p>\n

The win is Shapovalov’s first on hard court this year (1-3). It’s also just his second victory on the ATP world tour in 2017.<\/p>\n

He’ll now face Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, ranked No. 31, in the second round.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s one of my idols,\u201d said Shapovalov of del Potro. \u201cGrowing up I saw him win the U.S. Open. So it’s going to be an extremely tough match. But I live for these moments. I live to be in these matches. I think it’s going to be a great battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shapovalov’s service game was his undoing in the first set. He was broken twice in the 41-minute set. Shapovalov’s first serve regularly clocked in at over 200 kilometres per hour, but it lacked the accuracy to be effective. The Canadian had an abysmal first-serve success rate of 40 per cent in the opening set.<\/p>\n

But as the youngster’s serve improved, so did his confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn’t really find my rhythm in the first set,\u201d said Shapovalov. \u201cI felt like in the tiebreaker I really loosened up and just started going for my serves. I hit a bunch of aces there. In the third set, that kind of continued.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier in the afternoon, South Korea’s Hyeon Chung upset Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(3).<\/p>\n

Chung, ranked No. 56 in the world, took advantage of several mistakes made by the 28th-ranked Lopez, including eight double faults, to win the two hour 16 minute match.<\/p>\n

The opening match on centre court at Uniprix Stadium was supposed to feature 10th-ranked Tomas Berdych but he pulled out with a rib injury. Berdych’s withdrawal ended a streak of 12 consecutive appearances in Canada for the Czech player.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sorry I have to apologize (to) all my Montreal fans,\u201d tweeted Berdych. \u201cI couldn’t play, because of my rib disfunction I need to get well to go to office soon!!\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 85 Ernesto Escobedo took his spot and upset 63rd-ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-4.<\/p>\n

In the final match of the day, third-seeded Dominic Thiem was upset in the second round by Diego Schwartzman. Schwartzman took it 6-4. 6-7, 7-5 in a match that needed two hours 55 minutes. Thiem is the highest-ranked player at the tournament to be eliminated so far.<\/p>\n

Also, American Jack Sock downed Pierre-Hugues Herber 7-6(4), 6-3 in first-round play while fellow American Jared Donaldson beat Benoit Pare 6-2, 7-5 in the first second-round match of the tournament.<\/p>\n

Borna Coric easily defeated Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 6-4 to set up a meeting with Rafael Nadal in the second round.<\/p>\n

Paolo Lorenzo downed American Frances Tiafoe 7-6(3), 0-6, 6-2. American Sam Querrey avoided an upset, rallying to beat qualifier Vincent Millot of France 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5.<\/p>\n

In doubles, Canadians Vasek Pospisil and Daniel Nestor lost 4-6, 6-4, 10-2 to Spaniards David Ferrer and Roberto Bautista Agut.<\/p>\n

Milos Raonic from Thornhill, Ont., was initially scheduled to play his opening match on Tuesday but a minor injury forced him to postpone it to Wednesday. He faces France’s Adrian Mannarino.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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