NEW YORK — Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime showcased their skills on Tuesday, each securing a spot in the second round of the U.S. Open with impressive straight-sets victories.
Shapovalov, the 27th seed, dominated his first-round clash against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, clinching the match with a convincing score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-0.
Meanwhile, the 25th-seeded Auger-Aliassime faced a tougher challenge from British lucky loser Billy Harris but managed to stay unblemished, triumphing with a scoreline of 6-4, 7-6 (8), 6-4.
With these victories, all three seeded Canadians in the men’s draw have advanced to the second round, following No. 31 Gabriel Diallo’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Damir Dzumhur on Monday.
Shapovalov is set to face French wild-card Valentin Royer on Thursday.
A rematch awaits Auger-Aliassime against Russia’s Roman Safiullin, also scheduled for Thursday.
Shapovalov kicked off the day’s matches and displayed remarkable form. After clinching the first set, he fought through a tense second set, securing a pivotal break at a moment when he had previously struggled to serve out the game while leading 5-3.
From there, the 26-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., carried the momentum into the third set, quickly establishing a 3-0 lead with an early break. Fucsovics took a medical timeout during the match, clearly battling discomfort for the remainder.
Shapovalov wrapped up the match on his first match point, marking his eighth break during the encounter.
The energetic crowd at Court 17 of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center rallied behind Shapovalov, frequently erupting with chants of “Let’s go, Shapo!”
The Canadian improved his Grand Slam record to 28-0 when leading after two sets and now stands 3-2 lifetime against Fucsovics.
On the same court as his fellow countryman, Auger-Aliassime utilized his powerful serve to withstand 45 unforced errors. The Montreal athlete fired 10 aces and successfully converted 74% of his first serves.
Harris, entering the tournament ranked 151st, posed a challenge to No. 27 Auger-Aliassime in the second set, breaking him early and taking a 5-3 lead. However, Auger-Aliassime responded vigorously, reeling off three consecutive games to lead 6-5.
After Harris held serve to send the set into a tiebreaker at 6-6, he initially led 8-7 in the tiebreaker before dropping three consecutive points on errors, allowing Auger-Aliassime to take a two-set advantage.
Notably, Auger-Aliassime reached the semifinals at the 2021 U.S. Open, while Shapovalov’s best performance came in 2020 when he advanced to the quarterfinals.
