Leylah Fernandez, Denis Shapovalov both fall in straight sets at Aussie Open tuneups
The Canadian Press | Posted: January 6, 2023 6:19 AM | Last Updated: January 6, 2023
Ysaline Bonaventure, Novak Djokovic best Canadian opponents
Canadian tennis players Leylah Fernandez and Denis Shapovalov were both eliminated from Australian Open preparation events on Friday.
Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., was bounced in the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 6-3, 6-4, by top-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
WATCH | Shapovalov falls to Djokovic:
Earlier, Fernandez fell 4-6, 2-6 to Belgium's Ysaline Bonaventure in the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.
Fernandez, the third seed in the event, hit three aces but committed four double faults in the match. The Laval, Que., native also went one-for-six on break point opportunities and won 60 per cent of first-serve points.
Bonaventure had a single ace while also committing four double faults but won 71.9 per cent of first-serve points. She also broke on four-of-eight chances.
The Belgian had defeated Vancouver native Rebecca Marino 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Bonaventure will next face the winner between Karolina Muchova and Rebeka Masarova.
Fernandez entered the match having cruised past Julia Grabher 6-0, 6-1.
WATCH | Fernandez upset by Bonaventure at ASB Classic:
Gauff reaches semifinals
Top-seeded Coco Gauff has beaten Zhu Lin of China 6-3, 6-2 to reach the semifinals in an ASB Classic which has been dogged by bleak weather and diminished by waning star power.
Venus Williams, second-seeded Sloane Stephens and former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu all were beaten in the second round and for the third day in a row, matches were moved indoors Friday because of rain and played without spectators.
Gauff deserved an audience for her impressive win over Zhu which she achieved in only 76 minutes and earned her a ninth semifinal of her career. The American hasn't dropped a set at the tournament.
Raducanu blamed the indoor courts for the ankle injury she sustained during her second-round match on Thursday.
Raducanu, who beat Fernandez in the 2021 U.S. Open final, said the courts were too slippery. She rolled her left ankle in the second set of her match against Slovakian qualifier Viktoria Kuzmova and couldn't continue.
Kuzmova bowed out Friday after a 6-3, 6-2 loss to seventh-seeded Danka Kovinic.
Medvedev advances to semis at Adelaide International
Daniil Medvedev is into the semifinals of the Adelaide International matchup with Djokovic.
The runner-up last year to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open, Medvedev defeated fellow Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-3 on Friday. The combined ATP-WTA event is a warmup for this year's Australian Open, where Medvedev will again be a factor.
Djokovic did not play the Australian Open last year after being barred from the country because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Medvedev is the 2021 U.S. Open champion, but has lost twice in the finals in Australia — and in 2021 it was against Djokovic.
In other quarterfinals on Friday, American Sebastian Korda defeated sixth-seeded Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-1, and Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan beat Alexei Popyrin of Australia. Korda will face Nishioka in the semifinals.