To follow the performances of Canadian players at the Madrid Tennis Open, we will now have to turn to doubles matches.
Hours after Félix Auger-Aliassime’s elimination, his compatriot Denis Shapovalov also lost his first match of the tournament when China’s Zhang Zhizhen came from behind to pull off a three-set victory of 6-7 (4) , 6-4, 7-6 (1).
The eliminations of Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov came the day after those of Eugenie Bouchard and Bianca Andreescu, also in the second round. Thursday, Rebecca Marino had suffered the same fate in front of the Belgian Élise Mertens.
Shapovalov took the lead in the third set when a service break in the sixth game gave him a 4-2 lead. Zhizhen replied in the next game and both players then won their serves to force a second tiebreaker.
During this break, Shapovalov won the first point, on his serve, but lost the next seven, including three on his serve.
In addition, Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov remain active in doubles, and within the same tandem.
On Friday, Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov defeated Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) in the first round of men’s doubles.
On their next outing, the two Canadians will battle Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Britain’s Lloyd Glasspool. This game is due to take place on Sunday.
Elsewhere, in a women’s doubles match on Saturday, Quebec’s Leylah Fernandez and American Taylor Townsend eliminated the tandem of second-seeded Ukrainian Lyudmila Kichenok and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets 6-2. , 6-4.
Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and her partner Luisa Stefani will face the duo of Russian sisters Erika and Mirra Andreeva on Sunday.
The latter, so far, is the revelation of the women’s singles draw, having signed victories against Leylah Fernandez, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Magda Linette.
