Felix Auger Aliassime wins all-Canadian clash against Denis Shapovalov in Madrid - UBITENNIS

Felix Auger Aliassime wins all-Canadian clash against Denis Shapovalov in Madrid

By sampaolo
3 Min Read

Canadian teenager Felix Auger Aliassime won the all-Next Gen first round clash against his friend Denis Shapovalov 6-2 7-6 (9-7) at the Madrid Mutua Open at the Caja Magica.

This year’s Rio de Janeiro finalist and Miami semifinalist Auger Aliassime converted three of his nine break points. He broke twice in the third and seventh games to seal the first set 6-2.

Auger Aliassime went up a set and a break in the fifth game of the second set at love to take a 3-2 lead. Shapovalov broke straight back to draw level to 3-3. Auger Aliassiame saved a break point in the eighth game to hold his service game. The next games went on serve until the tie-break where Auger Aliassime sealed the win on his fourth match point after Shapovalov sent a forehand win in the tie-break of the second set.

Auger Aliassime met Shapovalov for the second time on the ATP Tour after meeting last year in the first round of the New York Open.

Auger Aliassime had lost two of the three matches on the European clay court following his Miami semifinal. He has improved his win-loss record to 17-9 this year. He will now face five-time Madrid champion Rafael Nadal, who lost in the semifinal in Montec-Carlo and Barcelona at the start of the European clay season.

German Jan-Lennard Struff upset Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to secure his spot in the second round where he will face either Marin Cilic or Martin Klizan.

The first set went on serve until the tie-break with just one break point in the third game saved by Kyrgios. Struff won the final three points from 4-4 to win the tie-break 7-4. Kyrgios won just three points on Struff’s serve across six games in the first set.

Kyrgios got the break in the first game of the second set after a double fault and some unforced error from Struff. The German player broke back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Struff sealed the second set with another break in the 10th game. Struff recently reached the quarter final in Barcelona with wins over David Goffin and Stefanos Tsitsipas before losing to Rafael Nadal.

Kyrgios had been playing his first match since the Miami Open where he lost to Borna Coric in the round of 16.

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