The three Canadians playing in the men’s singles draw at the Australian Open have taken their first step. Indeed, on Tuesday, Denis Shapovalov got the better of Roberto Bautista Agut in four rounds to join his compatriots Félix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriel Diallo in the second round.
Rebecca Marino had the opportunity to give Canada a perfect five-game record in the opening round, but she was unable to upset 22nd-seeded Katie Boulter, losing in three sets.
In his first outing at Melbourne Park, Shapovalov sometimes had difficulty finding his rhythm, especially at the start of the round. However, he saved his best for last by making a few breaks at the end of the second and third sets and remaining calm in the decisive game of the fourth set to sign a victory of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and 7 -6(8).
Shapovalov wasn’t helped by his serve, as he put just 48 percent of his first serves in play, winning 87 percent of those points. If he produced 24 aces, he also committed 15 double faults, three times more than his rival. From the baseline, he made 71 winning shots, but once again, his 72 unforced errors made his task difficult.
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Shapovalov was broken on his second serve. Although he managed to tie the game at 3-3, another sloppy play immediately gave the Spaniard the lead again.
He was not able to recover from this second break, and, at 3-5, the Canadian committed a double fault on a set point to concede the first engagement.
Bautista Agut took advantage of Shapovalov’s largesse at the start of the second act to break at zero before taking a 3-0 lead. Just like in the first set, Shapovalov managed to set the record straight to tie the score at 3-3.
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This time, Shapovalov used this break to gain momentum. At 4-4, errors crept into Bautista Agut’s game and the Canadian finally produced a backhand winner on his fourth break point. He then won his serve at zero by hitting three consecutive aces.
Shapovalov was once again shaky on serve at the start of the third period, but avoided the worst. Just like in the second set, the ninth game was decisive and, once again, it was the Canadian who obtained a late break. Bautista Agut broke down after letting a 40-15 lead slip away, double faulting on a break point.
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The fourth round took place without much fanfare. The two protagonists had to fend off break points in their first service game, but then headed cheerfully towards the decisive game.
If the servers easily won their offerings, it was the raisers who dominated at the start of the decisive game. Indeed, they won the first seven points before Shapovalov missed a backhand on the Spaniard’s serve to trail 3-5. Bautista Agut had three set points at 6-3, but the Canadian had no intention of prolonging the duel. He erased the first with an ace, then extracted an error from his rival before the Spaniard committed a double fault to level the score at 6-6.
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-In turn, Shapovalov double-faulted on his first match point, at 7-6, and got out of trouble when Bautista Agut sent a backhand into the net. After winning a long rally to obtain a second match point at 9-8, the Canadian made a forehand winner to seal the outcome of the match.
In the second round, he will cross swords with Lorenzo Musetti, 16e seeded in the event. The Italian won their only previous duel, in Indian Wells, last year.
Marino so close to the goal
Of all the Canadians at the Australian Open this year, Rebecca Marino had the toughest curtain-raising task, as she faced Britain’s Katie Boulter, 22eheadliner. The Canadian put up a phenomenal battle, pushing Boulter into the cables for three rounds. However, it was the Briton who managed to snatch a victory of 6-4, 3-6 and 7-5.
According to the statistics, Marino was the best player in the match. She produced more winners (28 versus 26), committed fewer unforced errors (35 versus 38) and won one more point overall. The inability to make break points ultimately cost the Canadian, who managed only two out of seven and was broken three times in five attempts.
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Boulter was slow to start the match, committing two consecutive double faults at 40-40 in her first service game to give the Canadian a 2-0 advantage. However, the Briton quickly recovered and responded in the next game.
At 3-3, Marino played a bad game, starting with a double fault and following up with two unforced errors. Boulter then extracted a forehand error from him to get the break. When the Briton served for the set at 5-4, Marino tried to equalize, fending off the first two set points and obtaining a break point, but Boulter saw it differently and resisted.
Marino again broke on her opponent’s first service game in the second set, but this time she didn’t let Boulter come back in the set, consolidating at zero to take a 3-0 lead. The Canadian increased the intensity and the Briton seemed to have difficulty keeping up. Marino continued to fight for every ball before forcing a decisive set.
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The Canadian maintained the pressure at the start of the third act, securing a break point in an 11-minute first game on the Briton’s serve. However, unlike the previous two rounds, she failed to break. At 2-2, Marino had another chance when she led 15-40 on Boulter’s serve, but the 22eThe top seed scored an ace and a volley winner to break the deadlock.
Marino had another opportunity to break at 5-5 by leading 0-30 on the Briton’s serve, but Boulter reeled off four points in a row to come within a game of victory.
Serving to prolong the duel, after an almost perfect serving set during which she had lost only three points in five games, Marino broke down at the worst moment. She missed a backhand to make it 30-40, but tied it with a powerful serve. A forehand winner from Boulter gave the Briton a second chance and this time the Canadian hit a forehand into the net to end the match.
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Leylah Annie Fernandez is therefore the only Canadian still in the running in the women’s singles table. Overall, the Canadians had a record of four wins and one loss in the first round of singles. On Tuesday, Fernandez also made it through the first round of doubles with partner Nadiia Kichenok.
Tickets for the first round of Davis Cup qualifying between Canada and Hungary are now on sale. Join us 1isand February 2 at Stade IGA, in Montreal, as Team Canada begins its journey to the quarter-finals of the 2025 Davis Cup. To obtain a preferential price on tickets, click here.
