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“Gonna Win Slams”: Frances Tiafoe Lauds Denis Shapovalov After National Bank Open Victory
Home-favorite Denis Shapovalov was looking for his first win since Wimbledon semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic at National Bank Open. For this, he met the 23-year-old American tennis player Frances Tiafoe in the second round. Eventually, the Canadian failed to complete the task, losing in his home event 1-6, 4-6.
As a fifth seed and World No.10, Shapovalov was inarguably one of the candidates worth watching at the Canadian Open. However, home fans would not get to see him much as he saw an early exit from the tournament.
Not the homecoming result that Shapovalov would have hoped for, but a flawless performance from @FTiafoe seals it for the American.
Tiafoe prevails 6-1, 6-4 and is through to the third round of #NBO21! pic.twitter.com/yw72x03l5R
— National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) August 12, 2021
As for the American, it was a noteoworthy victory over a Top 10 ranked opponent. Moreover, while Tiafoe sticked to his guns, he caused the tournament’s biggest upset in Toronto.
Aug 11, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Frances Tiafoe of the United States returns a ball to Denis Shapovalov of Canada (not pictured) at Aviva Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Most significantly, the 23-year-old American came into this tournament as a lucky loser. Also, he did not shy away from praising his opponent and another promising Canadian talent Felix Auger-Aliassime.
“Shapovalov gonna win Slams. Gonna be special. Canadians have to be proud of him and Felix. They are special players, special people,” Tiafoe said.
Also Read: What’s Going Wrong With Rafael Nadal Following Multiple Withdrawals Before US Open 2021?
Denis Shapovalov vs Frances Tiafoe: National Bank Open 2021 R2
From the moment go, Tiafoe had his head into this match. Without any doubt, his time spent on court in Toronto compared to Shapovalov helped his case.
Nevertheless, the 22-year-old Canadian struggled to find any grips over the American’s free flowing strokes. Consequently, Shapovalov could only hold one service game successfully, losing the opening set 1-6 in mere 26 minutes.
Aug 11, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Denis Shapovalov of Canada returns a ball to Frances Tiafoe of the United States (not pictured) at Aviva Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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Following the opening set, the tempo settled down as the time between points grew substantially. Also, to not allow Tiafoe a lead in the second set, Shapovalov got past three break points.
At 4-4 in the second, the American once again geared up his attack on the left-hander and earned three break points chances himself. Stunningly, Shapovalov saved all the three and then went on to save another three to bring the game back to deuce.
Ultimately, Tiafoe got seventh-time lucky and close the game for a 4-5 lead in the second. As a result, he was now only one service game away from second win in the National Bank Open main draw.
At last, the 23-year-old although scraped off a match point but successfully outted Shapovalov on home turf. The final score: 1-6, 4-6.
As per the draw, Tiafoe will next face either Gael Monfils or John Millman to reach the last 16 in Toronto. Do you think he can go all the way in this event?
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