Shapovalov wins Indian Wells opener in straight sets

Rudi Schuller

Shapovalov wins Indian Wells opener in straight sets image

One down, six to go.

Denis Shapovalov eased to a 6-3, 6-4 round of 128 victory over Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Thursday, joining compatriot Milos Raonic in the round of 64.

Canadian teenager Shapovalov had six aces in the match, while holding Berankis to none. The 18-year-old had his opponent on the back foot for much of the contest, mixing his growing service game with a variety of tricks to earn points in the victory.

While Berankis was no pushover, Shapovalov kept the Lithuanian at bay and even had him chasing the ball all over the court.

Shapovalov moves on to face Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas in the round of 64. Like Raonic, Cuevas earned a bye and did not have to play in the opening round.

Marathon match

While Toronto's Peter Polansky started his round of 128 match Thursday within a few minutes of Shapovalov's, the 144th-ranked player's contest against Marius Copil took a lot longer to complete.

Requiring over three hours, the three-set marathon between Polansky and Copil was as close as a tennis match could get. Each set required a tiebreak, with the final set going back and forth as both players squandered multiple match points before the Canadian was able to finally put an end to the proceedings.

Copil hit 25 aces in the match, with Polansky notching just one, but the only statistic that mattered in the end was the 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 scoreline in favour of the Canadian.

Polansky will face France's Adrian Mannarino in the round of 64.

Canadian clash

Raonic's opponent is not yet known, but he will be facing a fellow Canuck.

Vasek Pospisil and Felix Auger-Aliassime each earned their way into the main draw with a pair of qualifying victories, and on Friday they will face one another in the round of 128. Vernon, B.C., native and veteran Pospisil takes on Montreal's Auger-Aliassime, 17, with the winner moving on to meet Raonic in the round of 64.

Rudi Schuller