Tennis·Wimbledon

Slumping Shapovalov, Bouchard make quick exits

Two of the biggest names in Canadian tennis remain locked in slumps after being bounced in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday. Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., lost back-to-back matches on Court 14, part of an 0-3 day for Canadian players at the third Grand Slam of the season.

Fellow Canadian Brayden Schnur loses Grand Slam debut

Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., pictured losing at Wimbledon two weeks ago, last won in the opening round of the Dubai tennis championship back in February. (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

Two of the biggest names in Canadian tennis remain locked in slumps after being bounced in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday.

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., lost back-to-back matches on Court 14, part of an 0-3 day for Canadian players at the third Grand Slam of the season.

The 29th-seeded Shapovalov lost 7-6 (0), 6-4, 6-3 to world No. 77 Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania, extending the Canadian's losing streak to five matches.

Shapovalov is 2-9 since a run to the Miami Open semifinals in March.

"I'm feeling amazing in practice. So it's all mental right now," Shapovalov said. "It's all coming from inside me. And unfortunately it's not something anyone can fix but myself."

WATCH | Shapovalov, Bouchard lose in 1st round:

Wimbledon Wrap: Bouchard, Shapovalov head home after round one losses

5 years ago
Duration 2:22
Eugenie Bouchard loses to Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia, while Denis Shapovalov loses to Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis.

Shapovalov became the youngest player to break into the top 30 since 2005 but insisted he's not putting too much pressure on himself to climb even further.

"But something subconsciously is happening for sure, and it shows in the matches," he said. "I'll talk to (my team) a little bit, and maybe a psychologist. Maybe someone that's been there in the past, felt these same things, just someone I can talk to and open up. I think it can definitely help."

On Tuesday, Shapovalov had 33 unforced errors and 40 winners. Berankis was steadier with 15 unforced errors and 25 winners.

Shapovalov didn't capitalize on any of his five break-point opportunities.

Meanwhile, Bouchard lost 6-3, 5-7, 8-6 to Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia.

Bouchard, now ranked 79th in the world after reaching No. 5 following her run to the Wimbledon final in 2014, hasn't won a match since February. She has played just six matches since her most recent win as the 25-year-old native of Westmount, Que., has battled injuries.

Against the 61st-ranked Zidansek, Bouchard battled back from a 3-0 deficit (two breaks down) in the second set to force a third and final set. The Canadian also rallied from 3-0 down in the third set to tie it at 4-4, but couldn't complete the comeback in a match that lasted two hours 20 minutes.

Inconsistent Canadians

Both players were inconsistent. Bouchard had 45 unforced errors and 19 winners, while Zidansek was at 42 and 32 in the same categories.

The players combined for more breaks (19) than service-game wins (16).

Bouchard was the lone Canadian in the women's draw after world No. 25 Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., dropped out because of a shoulder injury.

Earlier, Canada's Brayden Schnur lost his Grand Slam debut.

The native of Pickering, Ont., lost 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 to Marcos Baghdatis of Cyrpus in the first round.

The 112th-ranked Schnur, 23, got into the main draw as a lucky loser after dropping his final qualifying match.

The 135th-ranked Baghdatis, 34, is set to retire after Wimbledon. Baghdatis, who received a wild-card entry into the tournament, is a former top-10 player.

Baghdatis had the big edge in first-serve points, winning 82 per cent of his as compared to 62 per cent for Schnur.

The Canadian made 35 unforced errors, 15 more than Baghdatis.

No. 15 seed Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., and No. 19 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal — the two remaining Canadians in singles draws — will play second-round matches on Wednesday.

WATCH | Canada's Auger-Aliassime, Raonic advance on Monday

Federer finds way after slow start

After losing the first set against an opponent playing his first tour-level match on grass, Roger Federer got back to normal at Wimbledon.

Federer shrugged off an early deficit to beat Lloyd Harris of South Africa 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 on Centre Court as he began his search for a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title.

Harris was making his debut at the grass-court Grand Slam but rode his powerful serve to a one-set lead. But Federer dominated after that, breaking his opponent twice in each of the next three sets and serving out the match with an ace.

Nadal cruises against Japanese qualifier

Playing his first match since winning his 12th French Open title, Rafael Nadal had little trouble in making the switch from clay to grass.

Nadal began his search for a third Wimbledon title by beating Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 on No. 1 Court to reach the second round.

Nadal was broken in the opening game but dominated after that, breaking his opponent six times and served out the match when Sugita sent a return long. He will next face Nick Kyrgios.

Last year, the Spaniard reached the semifinals at the All England Club for the first time since 2011 before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in five sets.

Querrey upends 5th-seeded Thiem

Sam Querrey of the United States took the last nine games and upset No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem 6-7 (4), 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-0 to make the French Open runner-up the third top-10 man already gone in Wimbledon's first round.

The 65th-ranked Querrey was one point from falling into a two-set deficit while serving down 5-4 in the second. But he held on there and then took a lead by getting his initial break of the match in the third set.

Thiem has lost to Rafael Nadal in the final at Roland Garros each of the past two years. He is a lot less comfortable on grass: This was the Austrian's third first-round exit in six appearances at Wimbledon.

He joined No. 6 seed Alexander Zverev and No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas on the sideline after they each lost a day earlier.

Defending champ Kerber moves on

French Open champion Ash Barty won her first match as the top-ranked woman, beating Saisai Zheng 6-4, 6-2 to reach the second round at Wimbledon.

Barty overtook Naomi Osaka last week for the top ranking and lived up to the status on No. 1 Court, breaking her Chinese opponent twice in each set.

"It's a little bit of a bizarre feeling, to be honest," Barty said about coming into Wimbledon at No. 1. "Took some time to adjust, but I loved every minute."

Sharapova exits with wrist injury

Maria Sharapova retired from her first-round match at Wimbledon with a left wrist injury while trailing 5-0 in the third set.

The 2004 Wimbledon champion served for the match while leading 5-3 in the second set but lost to Pauline Parmentier of France 4-6, 7-6 (4), 5-0.

Sharapova, who was unseeded at the All England Club for the first time since her debut in 2003, called for a medical timeout after the second set and a trainer put some taping on her wrist. She called for the trainer a second time in the third set, and stopped just after Parmentier served for the 5-0 lead.

This year's Wimbledon was only Sharapova's second tournament since January following shoulder surgery. She lost in the second round in Mallorca last month.

Serena Williams prevails in straight sets

Seven-time champion Serena Williams opened her bid for a 24th Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Giulia Gatto-Monticone of Italy at the All England Club.

Williams, who lost in the Wimbledon final last year, is short on matches and training time this season, factors she cited after her third-round exit at the French Open, her most recent tournament.

Williams has been dealing with an injured left knee. She said on Saturday she has been "feeling better" and her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said the 37-year-old American "doesn't have pain anymore."

The 31-year-old Gatto-Monticone was making her debut in Wimbledon's main draw.

Also advancing was defending champion Angelique Kerber, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, ninth-seeded Sloane Stephens, No. 15 Wang Qiang and Barbora Strycova.

With files from The Associated Press