Canadian Next Gen star Denis Shapovalov survived a scare in his first match at the Miami Open, when he beat Viktor Troicki 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (8-6) after two and a half hours.
Shapovalov wasted five match points in the third set and went down 5-6 in the tie-break. He saved the match point with a smash winner and closed out the match, when Troicki made a double fault at 6-7.
“I am just happy to be alive, still have the chance to play more matches in the tournament. It was a tough match, being 5-1 up, blowing the lead, saving a match point. I am really happy that I was able to come back, but definitely something I can learn from. If I had lost this match, I probably would have retired right here”, said Shapovalov.
Shapovalov will face Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur in the second round.
