By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday August 11, 2021
Denis Shapovalov fell to Frances Tiafoe, leaving no Canadian men in the round of 16 at Toronto.
Photo Source: Getty
Frances Tiafoe put an end to Canada’s hopes at the National Bank Open with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Denis Shapovalov on Wednesday evening in Toronto.
The American had lost his last four contests with his good friend, but he braved the windy conditions and was the far better player from start to finish. Tiafoe will face Gael Monfils in round of 16 action on Thursday at the Aviva Centre.
Five Canadian men entered the main draw but none could make the third round, as Felix Auger-Aliassime was bounced by Dusan Lajovic earlier in the day. Canadian men went 0-4 overall.
“Obviously it's not an ideal performance, so, yeah, definitely not too happy,” Shapovalov, the World No.10, said of his loss.
“It's not easy, for sure,” Auger-Aliassime said of his 7-5, 6-4 loss to Lajovic. “Especially here. I mean, every week you want to win. I wanted to play a good tournament here. I thought I prepared well. You know, I just have to accept the situation.”
Tiafoe handled the wind exceptionally well on Wednesday, and seemed to have Shapovalov on his back foot for most of the night. After an 11-match winning streak against the Top-10, Tiafoe has now won two of three. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round at Wimbledon.
“Windy conditions definitely favored me,” Tiafoe said. “Denis, taking a lot of big cuts. Definitely frazzled a bit. … I served well. I served well, and I was solid. I think I handled the conditions better than he did, and I played super-aggressive. I didn't really let up.
“I think that was the difference.”
Here is how the rest of the round of 16 shapes up at Toronto: