Denis Shapovalov lost to Hyeon Chung in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting at last year’s inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals. But the 19-year-old Canadian got his revenge on Monday, defeating the South Korean 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to advance to the second round of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2018.
“I’m definitely really happy with how I handled myself mentally. I didn’t let myself get out of my bubble too much. It was a really tough match against Hyeon and I knew going in that it was going to be very difficult,” Shapovalov said. “I’m really happy with the first round.”
Shapovalov has now won at least one match at nine consecutive tour-level events, and he will try to reach his fifth quarter-final of the season when he faces former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka or fellow #NextGenATP player Taylor Fritz.
“I definitely am not thinking about that. I’m just taking it one match at a time, as always,” Shapovalov said of his consistency. “I think I’ve had really good preparations in every tournament that I’ve played, especially the past couple months having my mom by my side. She always makes me do that extra little bit more that just helps me get prepared even better for these tournaments and early in the stages. I’m definitely really happy with where I am in terms of the season. Hopefully I can keep going and keep playing well.”
The World No. 31 struck 14 aces and saved six of the seven break points he faced to oust Chung after one hour and 51 minutes. The Canadian was especially strong under pressure in the deciding set, when he saved all four break points held against him and broke Chung at both of his opportunities to move through in his Tokyo debut.
“It was just one or two points today. It was really close,” Shapovalov said. “If he breaks me in the third set, he was probably going to run away with the win. But I managed to stay strong, win my service games and I really turned the match, so I was really happy.”
In the first match of the day on Arena 1, No. 6 seed Milos Raonic powered past Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4 in just 68 minutes. It is a good start for the former World No. 3 in Tokyo, where he reached three consecutive finals from 2012-14.
“It’s good to be here. I’ve played well here over many instances. I enjoy the tournament here,” Raonic said. “This is a change of venue this year but I think they’ve done a great job in adapting it, adjusting for the fact that the old stadium is getting renovated for the Olympics. It’ll be exciting to be there again next year. But I really have a good time here, I try to come here when I can and it’s been good to me.”
The Ariake Tennis Forest Park, the traditional venue of the ATP World Tour 500-level tournament, is being renovated this year in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The event will return there in 2019.
It was not an easy first-round matchup for the 27-year-old Raonic, as Mannarino had won their previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting last year in Montreal. But the Canadian hit 17 aces and won 92 per cent of first-serve points (22/36) en route to the second round in the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza.
“It’s tough. He has an unorthodox way of playing. He sort of mixes up pace, tries to take you out of your rhythm. He has the sidespin serve on the Ad side that pulls you really far where you have to be ready to be pulled outside the court and then work your way back into it. You have to really be disciplined with yourself in making sure you don’t get sucked into that change-of-pace gamestyle that he likes to play because he’s very talented,” Raonic said. “It’s hard to beat him at that. You have to really be the aggressor and try to play on your terms.”
Raonic will next face home favourite Yosuke Watanuki, who earned his first ATP World Tour match win by upsetting Dutchman Robin Haase 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-1 in exactly two hours.
Watanuki, who qualified to compete in just his second tour-level main draw, is currently No. 273 in the ATP Rankings. If he should defeat Raonic, the 20-year-old will crack the Top 200 for the first time.
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