Canada’s Denis Shapovalov’s season just gets better and better. A week after claiming the biggest win of his career to date over Nick Kyrgios at the Rogers Cup, the 17-year-old Israeli-born Canadian delighted the locals with a hard-fought 7-6(2), 7-6(4) victory over Australia’s Luke Saville to book his place in the second round of the 2016 Challenger Banque Nationale De Granby.
Shapovalov Gutsily Saves Set Point, Takes Opener in First-Set Tiebreak
After trading early rapid-fire exchanges from the back of the court, it was Saville, the 22-year-old Australian, who got off to the better start, breaking straight away as Shapovalov completely mistimed a forehand slice down break point, before consolidating the break with a successful serve-and-volley combination, a tactic he used frequently in this match.
From there, the pair would exchange relatively comfortable holds of serve until the eighth game, when Shapovalov was slowly beginning to make inroads into Saville’s service games. In all, the reigning junior Wimbledon champion held four chances to recover the early break but time and time again, Saville would serve or volley his way out of trouble, eventually making the Canadian rue his missed chances, as the Australian held for a 5-3 lead. The disappointment of failing to convert any four of those opportunities seemed to get to Shapovalov, who soon found himself in danger of surrendering the opening set altogether as he faced a set point, only to save it gutsily with another big serve spinning away from the racquet of Saville.
That proved to be the turning point for Shapovalov, who would promptly serve his way to a hold before begging the question to Saville, forcing the Australian to serve it out. Despite coming within two points of taking the opener a game later, Saville could not get over the line as he cracked under pressure, leaving a little chink in his armour for Shapovalov to exploit. The Canadian would make the most of this opportunity, breaking at the second time of asking with a glorious crosscourt backhand passing shot to restore parity at five-games-apiece.
Despite the slight shift in momentum, both players continued to trade blows from the back of the court, as well as raise their level when it mattered most. All of this would culminate in a first-set tiebreak where after trading mini-breaks early, Shapovalov began to pull away with the advantage. From 2-all in the breaker, the Canadian wild card won five points in a row, utilizing his all-court game to wondrous effect as he claimed the opening set, 7-6(2), with another massive serve, much to the delight of the partisan Canadian crowd.
Shapovalov Soars His Way Into Second Round
After exchanging holds to begin the second set, both men had their respective chances to claim the elusive advantage and run away with the set, alas they were both unable to take their chances when they presented themselves.
Tied at 1-all, thrice did Shapovalov push Saville to deuce on the Australian’s own serve after fighting all the way from 40-0 down, only to have Saville eventually convert his sixth game point to take a 2-1 lead. In the next game, it was the world number 291’s turn to take a bite at the cherry. In all, the unseeded Australian held four break points, including three at 0-40 up on Shapovalov’s serve, only to have the 17-year-old Canadian slam the door each time, ultimately holding to restore parity at 2-all.
From there, the set would continue on serve, though comparatively more routinely than in previous games, ultimately culminating in the second tiebreak of the match. Much like in the first seven-point shootout, the pair exchanged early mini-breaks before Shapovalov began to pull away in emphatic style. At 4-all, the Canadian hit a scorching forehand passing shot down the line, thus putting him within two points of a spot in the second round on his own serve. After winning the first of them with a successful serve-and-volley attempt to bring up two match points, the junior world number two sealed the deal in the best way possible; his tenth ace of the match securing him a hard-fought 7-6(2), 7-6(4) victory.
Shapovalov to Meet Barrere Next
In the second round, Shapovalov will meet eighth-seeded Frenchman Gregoire Barrere, who was a straight-sets victor earlier in the day over Great Britain’s Brydan Klein. For the first time, the pair will take center stage to face off not before 2 PM Wednesday on court Central.