Canadians Shapovalov, Diallo advance to 2nd round at Australian Open
Fellow Canadian Rebecca Marino bounced in 1st round in Melbourne
Canadian tennis players Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo battled through challenging first-round matches to advance at the Australian Open on Tuesday in Melbourne.
Shapovalov, ranked 56th, defeated Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut (53rd) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (8) in a match that lasted more than three hours on Court 5 at Melbourne Park. The 25-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., delivered 24 aces but struggled with 15 double faults. He faces 16th seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy next.
Diallo, ranked 86th, relied on his powerful first serve to defeat Italy's Luca Nardi 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in his Melbourne Park main-draw debut. The Montrealer fired 21 aces and won 75 per cent of points on his first serve in a four-hour, 10-minute battle. He meets 19th seed Karen Khachanov of Russia in the second round.
Vancouver's Rebecca Marino lost her first-round match 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to Britain's Katie Boulter.
In doubles, Leylah Fernandez. of Laval, Que., and Ukraine's Nadiia Kichenok reached the second round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Australians Maya Joint and Talia Gibson. Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe were set to open their campaign against Americans Danielle Collins and Desirae Krawczyk.
WATCH | Shapovalov sails into the 2nd round:
Fernandez, the 30th seed in singles, was scheduled to face Spain's Cristina Bucsa in a late second-round match.
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime, seeded 29th, fresh off his Adelaide International victory, plays Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round.
WATCH | Diallo earns 1st Australian Open main draw victory:
With files from Associated Press
