Shapovalov downs Tsitsipas to advance to second round at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Canadian Denis Shapovalov advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday.
It’s the first main-draw win at the Australian Open for the 18-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont.
Shapovalov won 57 per cent of his first service points and converted on 5-of-8 break points. He also had nine aces and 33 winners.
“I think I played extremely well today,” Shapovalov said in his post-match press conference. “I felt from the warmup that I was feeling the ball really clean and I was able to get the lead right from the start. I thought maybe he would start off tight and that’s what happened and I was able to maintain it really well.”