Canada’s rising star, Denis Shapovalov, has officially exited the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, following his retirement in the opening round on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ontario, decided to withdraw while trailing 3-0 in the third set against American Zachary Svajda at IGA Stadium.
Shapovalov showcased his skills early on, capturing the first set 6-4 with a blistering ace to seal it. However, he appeared to sustain an injury while serving late in the second set, which he ultimately lost 6-4.
The world No. 43 visibly grimaced in pain and requested an off-court medical timeout. After roughly 10 minutes, he returned but his mobility was clearly affected, leading to his retirement.
Svajda, currently ranked 87th globally, moves on to face the 18th-seeded Arthur Fils from France in the second round of this prestigious ATP Masters 1000 event.
Shapovalov arrived late Sunday, having been unable to defend his title at the ATP 250 event in Los Cabos, Mexico, where he succumbed to Arthur Géa in the final.
In an interview on Monday, he opened up about his physical struggles this season due to a rib fracture and shoulder injury, lowering expectations for his performance at the Canadian Open.
Shapovalov first captivated audiences on the professional circuit during his remarkable run in Montreal back in 2017, when he, at the age of 18, stunned legendary Rafael Nadal to reach the semifinals.
This stylish player, once seen sporting a backwards cap, broke into the ATP top 10 at 21 but faced a dramatic drop to as low as 140th after a serious knee injury affected his 2023 season and continues into 2024.
It’s been a tough run for Shapovalov at the National Bank Open, as he hasn’t won a match since 2019.
In another matchup earlier Tuesday, Canadian qualifier Duncan Chan also exited the tournament, falling in the first round to Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante.
Chan, ranked 601st worldwide, battled for over two hours but ultimately lost 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (3) at IGA Stadium after previously upsetting No. 90 Hugo Gaston of France to qualify for the men’s singles main draw.
The 65th-ranked Tirante is set to clash with seventh seed Taylor Fritz of the United States in the next round. Fritz, fresh off his victory at the ATP 500 D.C. Open, enjoyed a bye in the first round.
Chan, a 21-year-old hailing from Markham, Ontario, is gearing up for his final year at Texas Christian University.
In other news, former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece advanced to the second round with a solid 6-4, 6-4 win over American qualifier Martin Damm Jr.
Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo was set to compete against 19th seed Luciano Darderi from Italy in the second round later on Tuesday evening.
