Denis Shapovalov overcomes marathon match, rain delay to advance at Miami Open
Fellow Canadian Milos Raonic cruises to straight-set victory in 2nd round action
Canada's Denis Shapovalov didn't get the start he wanted Saturday, but he still managed to grit out a win in second round action at the Miami Open.
The 21-year-old native of Richmond Hill, Ont., downed Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in a match marked by multiple rain delays.
Shapovalov struggled at times on Saturday, with 11 double faults. The No. 6 seed had a first-round bye and said it's always difficult to start a tournament against someone who's already played.
"Definitely a super tough one against Ivashka. I think he played really well," Shapovalov said. "Obviously he was in top form."
WATCH | Shapovalov moves on to 3rd round in Miami:
Ultimately, he landed eight aces and saved 86 per cent of his break points in a match that lasted more than three hours.
The Canadian was pleased to turn things around.
"There's a lot of moments, even in a comeback, where the match can turn again," he said. "But I was really happy to kind of stay on the accelerator. I felt like I was leading the second and third set and I felt like I had a lot of chances so I'm really happy I was able to eventually convert on those and get the win today."
Shapovalov will now face Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the third round.
It's a familiar opponent for the young Canadian — the pair met at the Dubai Championships last week, where Shapovalov bested Hurkacz 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals. He was later knocked out of the semifinals by South Africa's Lloyd Harris.
Facing Hurkacz again will make for a "super tricky" match, Shapovalov said.
"Hopefully I can use that confidence and use those moments from last week and try to transition it to this week," he said. "Of course, it's different conditions, different surface, so it's going to be a new match and definitely a tough battle ahead of me."
Shapovalov has had success at the Miami Open before, making the semifinals in 2019. He's the third Canadian man to move on in this year's tournament.
Raonic cruises
Fellow Canadian Milos Raonic cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Australia's Jordan Thompson in second-round action on Saturday at the Miami Open.
Raonic, the 12th seed in Miami, fired 14 aces and won 96 per cent of first serve points to advance to the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., didn't face break point and converted three of the seven break opportunities he had against Thompson.
WATCH | Raonic advances to 3rd round at Miami Open:
The Canadian said he was happy with the quick start in Miami after struggling at a tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, earlier this month, where he was upset in the round of 16 to world No. 71 Dominik Koepfer.
"To start the tournament like this was very positive," Raonic said. "I was much better with my serve than I was at the last tournament. I feel better physically as well, so all those things are trending in a positive way for me."
Raonic said he picked up an injury at the Australian Open, where he lost in the round of 16 to eventual winner Novak Djokovic, and may have returned to action too early at Acapulco.
1st-round bye
"I didn't give myself an honest effort to be able to be ready in time," Raonic said. "Since my last match in Acapulco to today I think it's been almost 10 days. That has helped me a lot and I hope it's something I can sustain physically for the rest of the event."
Raonic, who had a first-round bye, will next face France's Ugo Humbert.
Raonic has reached the Miami quarter-finals three times, most recently in 2018.
Fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal booked his spot in the third round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Friday. Auger-Aliassime will face American veteran John Isner on Sunday.
Top-ranked Ash Barty beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 and had a much easier time than in the previous round, when she saved a match point to beat qualifier Kristina Kucova. That was Barty's first match away from her native Australian since February 2020.
Wild card Ana Konjuh upset No. 15 Iga Swiatek. Konjuh's career has been slowed by four elbow surgeries, and this week she has earned her first three wins in main-draw WTA play since 2018.
Tsitsipas makes 4th round
For tennis up-and-comers like Stefanos Tsitsipas, the draw at the Miami Open began to look a lot less daunting even before the tournament began.
"It's a first test to see how it is playing without them," Tsitsipas said after his third-round victory Saturday. "There is going to be a time in the future where this is going to be more frequent and happening more regularly, and maybe even a standard soon. So, yeah, we get a taste of how it is playing without them."
The No. 2-seeded Tsitsipas is among those with the best chance to take advantage, and he looked the part against Damir Dzumhur, winning 6-1, 6-4.
Ranked a career-high No. 5, Tsitsipas improved to 15-4 this year and 2-3 lifetime against Dzumhur. The 22-year-old Greek used his serve to dominate Dzumhur, who never had a break point.
"I created a lot of opportunities with my serve — I wasn't rushing at all, finding the right angles and executing it perfectly," Tsitsipas said. "Even with my second serve I felt like I did a lot of damage, not giving him a chance to press first and apply pressure with his shots."
Halep withdraws due to shoulder injury
Third seed Simona Halep has withdrawn from the Miami Open singles and doubles events due to a right shoulder injury, the Romanian said on Saturday.
Halep, who received a bye into the second round where she beat France's Caroline Garcia in three sets, was set to play Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, who will now receive a walkover and advance to the last-16.
Halep, the reigning Wimbledon champion, said she began to feel pain after practice sessions at her first tournament since a quarter-final exit at the Australian Open last month.
"I'm very sorry I have to pull out of singles and doubles at the Miami Open, but my injury doesn't let me play here as I expected," Halep, who had partnered with Angelique Kerber in the doubles, said.
"I'm sad that I can't continue, I wanted to come here to give my best and play many matches but unfortunately I can't. Hopefully next year I will be back healthy and better."
Halep's withdrawal is a blow for the March 22-April 4 tournament, which has already seen Serena Williams pull out to recover from oral surgery, while Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem have all skipped the ATP 1000 event.
With files from Reuters
