Denis Shapovalov was a little worried about the 581st racquet in the world, but he broke the trap set by Guido Pella in the second round of the Miami tennis tournament on Friday.
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The Canadian fought for almost two hours with the 32-year-old Argentine for victory 6: 3, 3: 6 and 6: 3. Pella’s ranking is somewhat misleading as the former ATP top 20 player has been plagued by injuries in recent years.
However, the Ontarian’s opponent shot himself in the foot in the eighth game of the final set by offering the break from a double fault to Shapovalov. The 24th seed then closed the books with balls in hand. Not always a guarantee of success for the 23-year-old tennis player, who collected 13 aces, but just as many double faults. He only put 49% of his first balls into play.
After benefiting from a bye in the first round, Shapovalov made his comeback at the Masters 1000 in Miami. His next assignment could be difficult, as he meets the winner of the duel between the Americans Taylor Fritz (10th) and Emilio Nava (182nd).
Quebec’s Leylah Fernandez and Ontario’s Bianca Andreescu will also be on duty in Miami later in the day.