Canada's Shapovalov falls in straight sets in Geneva Open final
Coco Gauff defeats Wang to win Emilia-Romagna Open, for 2nd career title
Denis Shapovalov might have lost final of the Geneva Open, but the Canadian said his solid week set him up nicely for the red clay courts of the French Open in less than two weeks.
The No. 2 seed from Richmond Hill, Ont., lost 7-6(6), 6-4 to Norway's Casper Ruud on Saturday, and moments after the match, Shapovalov was asked if he'd proved a point about his ability on clay.
"I don't think I have any points to prove. I'm playing for myself. I've had good results in the past on clay. So, I don't think it's a surprise that I'm able to play on this surface anymore," Shapovalov said.
"I just think it's more me coming together with myself, because my game has been there, I've been saying that for the last couple months, it's has been a bit more mental. So, I've moved past that, and I'm able to just play my game now, and play the way I know that I can play."
In the post-match trophy presentation, the third-seeded Ruud said the final of the ATP Tour 250 event could have gone either way.
Shapovalov disagreed.
"[Ruud] played super clean today," said Shapovalov, who didn't force one break point against Ruud. "Honestly, he didn't give me anything, he just played super solid. I think today, he was the better player for sure."
WATCH | Shapovalov drops Geneva Open final to Ruud:
The Canadian, who lost a third-set tiebreak against 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal last week at the Italian Open after missing on two match points, is looking forward to some rest before the season ramps up again with the French Open. The main draw of the second Grand Slam of the season starts May 30.
"Obviously the body is beat up, it's been a physical couple of days, so just (need) some rest to be honest. I think the game's there, everything's there. It's just getting the body ready for Roland Garros," he said.
"Obviously I'm playing a lot more relaxed now and more patient, so for sure, I'm playing good on the clay and definitely was a great week for me."
Canadians are on a nine-match losing streak in ATP Tour finals and are 1-18 in finals since Milos Raonic won in Brisbane in 2016. The only win in that stretch was Shapovalov in Stockholm in 2019.
While the 22-year-old players knew each other well from facing off in the junior ranks, Saturday was the first time Shapovalov and Ruud had battled at the top level.
Shapovalov advanced after beating qualifier Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 6-4, 7-5 in semifinal action on Friday.
Shapovalov was asked about the Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round playoff series against Montreal. He sent best wishes to Leafs captain John Tavares, who's out indefinitely with a concussion after taking a knee to the head in Thursday's Game 1 loss to the Canadiens.
"I hope John's OK. I saw the hit. I think hockey's a brutal sport like that. So, obviously wishing him all the best and hopefully, he has a good recovery," Shapovalov said. "I think that's the most important thing right now."
Coco Gauff cruises to Emilia-Romagna Open win
American teenager Coco Gauff stormed to her second career singles title as she comfortably dispatched Wang Qiang 6-1, 6-3 at the Emilia-Romagna Open in her first clay-court final on Saturday.
The 17-year-old Gauff also won the doubles title with Caty McNally later Saturday, becoming the youngest player to complete the singles/doubles sweep in nearly 17 years, since Maria Sharapova won both titles in Birmingham in 2004. That was just 92 days after Gauff was born.
"I feel like all week I was just thinking about it [winning both], especially when we got to the semifinals and you're thinking about it, and you're like it would be pretty cool to win both the singles and doubles titles. And I'm happy I was able to do that today," Gauff said.
She won more than three-quarters of her first-service points and fended off each of the four break points she faced against the 48th-ranked Wang.
Gauff, who reached her first semifinals on clay at the Italian Open last week, dropped just one set in Parma en route to victory. She is gearing up for the French Open, which starts May 30.
"It means a lot, especially on clay which is not really I feel like a surface that people associate me with," Gauff said, before adding with a laugh: "It feels good, I like the dirt now. I always talk about it how I don't like it but I like it now."
Gauff has won 20 of her last 26 matches on tour. In contrast, she won 21 matches in the whole of 2019 and 2020 combined.
Gauff won her only previous final in Lienz, Austria, in 2019.
WATCH | CBC Sports Explains: The Olympic Flame:
