Denis Shapovalov opened his 2018 season with a hard-fought loss to Kyle Edmund of Britain at the Brisbane International, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-4 in Tuesday’s second feature match at Pat Rafter arena.
The ATP’s most improved player of 2017, Shapovalov lost his season-opening match a year ago as well. He received a bye in the opening round of qualifying for the Happy Valley tournament in Australia, then lost to Brydan Klein, 6-4, 7-5 on Jan. 2. Seven months later, the teenage sensation had climbed from 250th in the world to No. 51.
Smokin @denis_shapo 🔥#BrisbaneTENnis pic.twitter.com/mTReB1WLse
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 2, 2018
His loss to Edmund wasn't the only one by a Canadian on Tuesday. Peter Polansky made it through qualifying but fell to Brisbane native John Millman 7-6 (7), 6-0 in the first round. Fourth-seeded Milos Raonic is set to face Aussie Alex De Minaur, who got past Steve Johnson of the U.S. (7-6, 6-4) in the round of 32.
Raonic, the No. 24 ranked player in the world, has reached the semifinals in his last three trips to Brisbane, falling at that stage to evenual champion Grigor Dimitrov last season. Raonic won the tournament in 2016, defeating Roger Federer in the final while avenging his loss to the Swiss legend in the previous year’s final in the process.
In the wake of last year's Brisbane performance, Raonic was ranked No. 3 in the world, but a nagging wrist injury sidelined him for seven weeks and he strained his right calf when he returned.
“I haven’t played tennis for a while,” he told reporters in Australia ahead of this year's tournament. “It’s been a little bit tough the last six months for me but now things are on the upward mend and I feel positive about the work I’ve been able to put in and about my conditioning as well.”