Shapovalov falls to Dominic Thiem in straight sets

Rudi Schuller

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Shapovalov falls to Dominic Thiem in straight sets image

He's not quite there yet.

Denis Shapovalov is hoping to break into the elite class of the ATP Tour, and while there have been flashes of brilliance that have given reason to believe that he will get there soon, the 18-year-old still has some growing to do.

MORE: Shapovalov jumps to career-best in latest ATP ranking

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His lack of experience was on display on Wednesday in the round of 16 of the Telcel Mexican Open, where the Canadian fell in 6-2, 6-3 to Dominic Thiem of Austria.

Thiem, currently No. 6 in the world rankings, had a relatively easy night against Shapovalov, dispatching the teen in just an hour-and-15 minutes. The Austrian won 77 percent of his service points and 48 percent of his return points, keeping the youngster at on his toes with some intelligent play.

While Shapovalov struggled with his return, going the entire match without a break point, elements of his game shone through from time to time. His vaunted backhand made a few appearances in Wednesday's match, although it was few and far between.

Thiem was ultimately too much for Shapovalov to handle, and at triple match point the Canadian hit a cross-court backhand millimetres out of bounds to lock up the victory for the 24-year-old Austrian.

Shapovalov's night only got worse after falling to Thiem in singles action. In the men's doubles, just hours after exiting the singles competition, Shapovalov and partner Chung Hyeon were defeated in straight sets by Bruno Soares and Jamie Murray.

Rudi Schuller