Six months after his last tournament, Canadian Denis Shapovalov returned to action at the Auckland tournament on Monday, but Austria's Sebastian Ofner did him no favors in the first round.
The seventh seeded New Zealander won in straight sets 6:4, 6:2. For his part, the Ontario native had received a pass to the main draw from the organizers.
• Also read: Davis Cup: Auger-Aliassime misses against South Korea
Shapovalov has not played since his last-16 loss at Wimbledon in July and has slipped to No. 116 in the ATP rankings. After recovering from a knee injury, he will try to advance by taking part in next week's Australian Open, but his trial for the Grand Slam event was difficult.
The 24-year-old tennis player only placed 49% of his first serve balls in the game against Ofner. He also committed 11 double faults and his second ball was never there.
Shapovalov defended by allowing only three break points but not saving any. His opponent fought back against the only two strange mistakes he allowed himself.
Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime will also make his 2024 debut in Auckland on Tuesday. The fourth favorite begins his journey against the German Daniel Altmaier.