A pair of Canadians reached the third round at the Madrid Open on Saturday morning.
Denis Shapovalov cruised over Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-4, while Gabriel Diallo defeated Kamil Majchrzak 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Shapovalov, the No. 29 seed, needed just over an hour to defeat Nishikori, who earned the 450th win of his ATP career in his first-round win over Aleksandar Vukic in his opening match.
The Canadian dominated the first set, converting both of his break opportunities and winning 56 per cent of first serve return points. Shapovalov was also strong on his serve to start the match, drilling four aces and winning 73 and 75 per cent of his first and second serves, respectively.
The second set was more of the same for the 26-year-old as he once again held serve throughout the set. Nishikori was stronger on his serve in the second set as Shapovalov was unable to convert a trio of break points with the set tied 2-2. Back on serve, Shapovalov would then rattle off nine consecutive points, including breaking Nishikori for the third time, to take a 5-3 lead in the set.
The Dallas Open champion would save the only break point he would face in his final service game and clinch the match two points later. Shapovalov was very strong on his serve throughout the match, winning 83 per cent of first serve points while committing just one double fault.
The world No. 30 will now take on the winner of the match between Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Sonego.
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Diallo squeaks past Majchrzak
Diallo continues to take advantage of his last-minute addition to the main draw in Madrid, winning his second Masters 1000 match on clay.
The Montreal native’s powerful serve came into play just as it did in his first-round win over Zizou Bergs, as he drilled nine aces and won 72 per cent of his first-serve points.
The match began with each man breaking the other's first service game, but things settled down, as both players held their serve until Diallo was able to break his opponent once again to claim the first set 7-5. Majchrzak saved three of five break points in the opening set. Majcrzak took control of the second set, earning the only break for either man in the set to go up 3-2. The Canadian nearly broke him back in the ensuing game, but the Polish player was able to save the break point and hold to go up 4-2.
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Diallo earned his third and final break of Majchrzak on match point to win the final set 6-4 and advance to the third round.
Diallo struggled with unforced errors throughout the match, committing 25 after committing just four in his opening-round win. The 23-year-old also drilled 44 winners in the match to keep himself in control.
He will now advance to take on Cameron Norrie in the third round.
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