By Chris Oddo | Tuesday August 7, 2018
A pair of teenagers have hopes high in Toronto this year, and they did not disappoint on Tuesday.
Photo Source: Christopher Levy
It was a banner day for Canadian men’s tennis in Toronto as two of the nation’s brightest hopes shone brightly on Tuesday, with 17-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime notching his first main draw victory at Rogers Cup along with his first Top 20 win and 19-year-old Denis Shapovalov trouncing France’s Jeremy Chardy to begin his 2018 campaign.
Neither victory comes as a massive surprise, though Auger-Aliassime’s was the more unlikely. The 17-year-old, who will turn 18 tomorrow, has cut his teeth on the ATP Tour this season, earning his first three wins (his fourth came today) and also becoming the first player born in the 2000s to register an ATP win and the youngest male player to win a main draw match at Indian Wells since 1989.
But until his confident display on Tuesday he had never defeated a player with a ranking higher than 75.
He battled past World No. 18 Lucas Pouille today, saving five of six break points in total and winning all but two of his service points in the second set.
“I think it's kind of a statement for me to win these matches, to prove to myself and others that I can compete with these guys. That I have the level to be there, to compete in the Top 100,” Auger-Aliassime told reporters, according to ATPWorldTour.com.
The Montreal native isn’t getting carried away with his victory, and expects much more from himself. “I'm very happy that I have won my first match, but for me it's just another step towards where I want to go, where I want to be as a player. So I'm not the type of player to really, the type of guy, in general, to get excited for wins. I have a long-term vision, and this is just another great step in my career.”
His philosophy doesn’t sound much different from that of Shapovalov, who stormed into Montreal last year with a ranking of 143 in the world, and by the time he was done was a National sensation (and a World No.69). Shapovalov became the youngest semifinalist in Masters 1000 history last year, and he followed up that win with a trip to the second week at the U.S. Open. But all the while he has stressed patience and process as he has shot up the rankings and faced the biggest names in men's tennis. Though he has had a bumpy road at times in 2018, Shapovalov has put together a solid season by any standards, let alone those of a teenager, reaching another Masters semifinal on the clay in Madrid and claiming 22 wins.
The 22nd win being tonight’s shutdown performance against France’s Chardy, in which Shapovalov saved all 6 break points he faced as he dispatched World No.46 Chardy in 63 minutes.
Shapovalov will face 14th-seeded Fabio Fognini next, while Auger-Aliassime has earned a second-round encounter with Russia’s Daniil Medvedev. The pair also tried their hands at doubles on Monday but fell in first-round action to Novak Djokovic and Kevin Anderson.
It has been 49 years since three Canadians reached the third round at the Rogers Cup, but with Milos Raonic and Peter Polansky also in the second round, it could be time for more history from the Canadian men.
And if Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime have their way, there will be plenty more history to look forward to in the upcoming decade.