In a surprising turn of events at the French Open, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov has been eliminated after falling to Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria with scores of 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the opening round on Tuesday.
Faria executed a crucial break to take a 6-5 lead in the second set, putting Shapovalov on the verge of defeat as he served for the match.
At just 22, Faria surged ahead again in the third set, breaking Shapovalov early to lead 2-1. Shapovalov made a valiant effort, recovering in the next game, but another critical break gave Faria control, allowing him to serve for the victory.
Shapovalov, now 27 and hailing from Richmond Hill, Ontario, showcased his power with 10 aces on the slow clay of Roland Garros but struggled with inconsistency, racking up eight double faults and an astonishing 48 unforced errors.
Entering this year’s second Grand Slam ranked 39th globally, Shapovalov’s season record now stands at a challenging 8-11.
Later on Tuesday, fourth seed Félix Auger-Aliassime from Montreal took to the court against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, while women’s ninth seed Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ontario, faced off against Czechia’s Nikola Bartunkova.
