The Ontarian however arrived in the Big Apple on a streak of four losses, since his failure in the semifinals of the Wimbledon tournament against Novak Djokovic.
Since then, he had lost from the outset in Gstaad, Toronto and Cincinnati, in addition to having overlooked the Tokyo Games.
The lack of hard court games has not been noticed in the slightest.
The Canadian player, seeded No. 7 in the American round of the grand slam, took only 1 hour 48 minutes to eliminate the Argentinian and advance to the second round.
Denis Shapovalov victorious in New York
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Shapovalov, who played his first round match on the Louis-Armstrong court, knows how to elevate his game in major tournaments.
New York. Je me sens un peu comme à la maison.","text":"Les tournois du grand chelem, c’est complètement différent, a dit Shapovalov au micro de TSN sur le terrain. L’atmosphère est différente, on est plus concentrés et prêts à jouer. Ce n’est pas toujours facile d’amorcer un tournoi du grand chelem, mais j’ai eu du succès à New York. Je me sens un peu comme à la maison."}}">Grand slam tournaments are completely different, Shapovalov told TSN on the pitch. The atmosphere is different, we are more focused and ready to play. It’s not always easy to start a grand slam tournament, but I had some success in New York. I feel a bit like home.
Shapovalov has been impressive on the serve. He had 14 aces and won 90% of the points with his first ball.
He broke the service of his opponent 5 times (on 1 occasion) and did not offer the slightest breakage bullet to his rival.
In this one-sided game, the Richmond Hill athlete recorded 38 winning strokes, against 23 unforced errors, and won in his first match point on the serve of Delbonis, 47th in the world.
He was a formidable opponent, but tight games were going my way because I was playing really well, added Shapovalov. Having said that, my performance today does not guarantee anything for the next game.
He will meet in the next round the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena (95th), winner of the American Tommy Paul, 54th in the world, in four rounds.
Now 10th in the world, Shapovalov knows he now has a target on his back and that his rivals want nothing less than to surprise him.
years. There are so many talented players with the older generation playing well and the younger ones pushing. “,” Text “:” The rankings sometimes mean nothing and are just numbers, said the 22-year-old. There are so many talented players with the older generation playing well and the younger ones pushing. “}}”>The rankings sometimes mean nothing and are just numbers, put the 22-year-old into perspective. There are so many talented players with the older generation playing well and the younger ones pushing.
Shapovalov will also have a good fortnight to defend the points won in 2020 in New York. He lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament against the Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.
Extraordinaire Vasek Pospisil
Like Shapovalov, Vasek Pospisil also came to New York without having the wind in its sails. In four preparatory tournaments on the hard, the 58th world had won only one victory.
And the trend of his record seemed to want to maintain against the Italian Fabio Fognini, 32nd in the world. The Canadian started the game very badly and gave up the first two sets to the count of 6-2 and 6-3, the initial set in just 26 minutes.
On serve, the 31-year-old struggled to put his first ball in play, with meager success rates of 43% and 35%.
Pospisil lacked lightness on the pitch and seemed to move with difficulty. Rather amorphous, he wore a bandage on his lower back under his sweater.
Against all odds, the Canadian turned the tide in a third set he won 6-1 by breaking the serve of his unpredictable rival three times. Pospisil then won 6-3 in the fourth set.
Vasek Pospisil at the US Open in 2021
Photo : AP / Frank Franklin II
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In the final round, Fabio Fognini believed he had regained the ascendancy with a 4-1 lead, but Pospisil hung on. Encouraged by the legendary basketball player Steve Nash, friend of the tennis player who was in the stands of the modest No 10 court, he came back up the hill.
Every time I looked at Steve Nash in the stands I told myself to keep fighting
, Pospisil told TSN after the game.
At 4-3, Fognini even lost patience in the face of his rival’s anger and the vagueness of his own shots. A racket was also sacrificed on the altar of precision.
Then, in the tiebreaker, the Canadian forged a 3-0 lead and ended the game at the earliest opportunity.
It’s definitely one of my biggest wins at the US Open, Pospisil said. I was playing well in the fifth inning and just trying to think positive thoughts and tell myself that I would have the opportunity to come back and break it. I hung on. It doesn’t always happen, but this time I did.
Pospisil had won his first two duels against Fognini. This is the fourth year in a row that he has reached at least the second round of the United States Open. In 2020, he lost in the fourth round.
In his next match, he will face Ilya Ivashka (No.53) of Belarus.
Other results
- Kei Nishikori (JPN) bat Salvatore Caruso (ITA) 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
- Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bat David Goffin (BEL/no 27) 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
- Aslan Karatsev (RUS/no.) 21) a Jaume Munar (ESP) 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
- Hubert Hurkacz (POL/no 10) bat Egor Gerasimov (BLR) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
- Denis Kudla (USA) bat Laslo Djere (SRB) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4)
- Alexander Zverev (GER / no 4) bat Sam Querrey (USA) 6-4, 7-5, 6-2
- Albert Ramos (ESP) bat Lucas Pouille (FRA) 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4
- Alexander Bublik (KAZ/no 31) bat Yannick Hanfmann (GER) 6-0, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
- Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) beat Sebastian Korda (USA) 6-2, 2-1 (abandonment)
- Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) bat Emilio Nava (USA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
- Reilly Opelka (USA/no 22) bat Kwon Soon-woo (KOR) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4
- Lloyd Harris (RSA) bat Karen Khachanov (RUS/no 25) 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
- Ernesto Escobedo (USA) bat Pablo Cuevas (URU) 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
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