Shapovalov serves up Martinez defeat, Raonic loses to Lajovic

Fresh from his run to the US Open quarter-finals, Denis Shapovalov looks primed to go deep on the Roman clay after a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Pedro Martinez of Spain in the second round of the Italian Open. Milos Raonic won’t be joining him in the round of 16, though, after a loss to Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic.

The Canadian had never faced Martinez prior to Thursday’s meeting but knew he was in for a tough test after the Spaniard had beaten the United States’ Sam Querrey in the previous round for his very first Masters 1000 victory.

Shapovalov, seeded 12^th, and Martinez traded three consecutive breaks in the first set – but it was the Canadian who came out on top, despite it being a fairly even encounter from a statistical standpoint with very little to separate the two players.

Things looked bleak for Shapovalov at the start of the second set as Martinez jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. But the 20-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ontario kept his nerve and produced two breaks of his own to take command.

Serving for the match, the Canadian manufactured a 40-0 lead but was forced to wait for his victory as the plucky Martinez won two points in a row to make it 40-30. As they say, though, third time was the charm for Shapovalov who closed out the match 6-4, 6-4.

Meanwhile, 13^th seed Raonic was beaten 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2 by Lajovic on Pietrangeli. A tiebreak decided a tight first set after the pair had exchanged breaks early on. A comeback looked to be on the cards when the Canadian won the second set – but a cool, calm and collected performance from Lajovic ensured he will advance to the next round.