It was the luck of the draw — or the unluckiest, depending on how you want to look at it. In the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open, countrymen and friends, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, faced off with the latter winning in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 (7).
Ranked No. 20 in the world, Shapovalov struggled with his serve for most of the match as he double-faulted four times and won only 59 percent of the points on his first serve and 62 percent on his second. Shapovalov, who was a semifinalist last year, was unable to control his game on Sunday and had 38 unforced errors — 21 with the forehand. The 30th-ranked Auger-Aliassime also had his issues; however, he was able to capitalize on three break points and eventually closed out the match on his fourth match point.
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Felix Feelin' Fine 👌🇨🇦@felixtennis beats friend and compatriot Shapovalov 6-2 7-6(7) to set a second round clash with Rafa Nadal in Madrid!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/PXRqdTO7L1
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 5, 2019
The meeting was the second for the Canadians, who previously met at the 2018 U.S. Open when the 18-year-old Auger-Aliassime had to retire. Since then, the Montreal native has been on fire. In 2019, he is now 17-9, which includes a big win over then-No. 10 Stefan Tsitsipas at Indian Wells. His defeat Sunday of the 20-year-old Shapovalov marked his 10th win of the season on clay.
Auger-Aliassime will need to dig deep and use his prowess on clay for his next match; he'll face World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the second round. Nadal, who earned a bye, is considered the best in the world on the surface.