Shapovalov Closing In On Marathon Win
Denis Shapovalov is six points from surviving a marathon and earning his spot in the third round of the Miami Open presented by Itau.
The sixth seed leads Ilya Ivashka 6-7(5), 6-4, 4-3 with a break advantage in the decider. Rain forced the players to leave Butch Bucholz Court with Shapovalov serving at 30/30.
The Canadian has not been at his best, hitting 11 double faults and making unforced errors at untimely moments. But Shapovalov has never stopped battling, putting himself in a winning position after two hours and 58 minutes.
The pivotal moment came at 3-3 in the third set. Ivashka was set to face his second break point of the game when it first began drizzling, leading to a pause of less than 10 minutes. The Belarusian double faulted upon play’s resumption, giving Shapovalov the advantage.
The lefty can became the third Canadian to reach this year’s Miami Open presented by Itau third round. Shapovalov has enjoyed success at Hard Rock Stadium, making the semi-finals here in 2019.
If he closes out his match, the 21-year-old will face Delray Beach champion Hubert Hurkacz in his next match. The Pole served 12 aces en route to a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory over Denis Kudla.
Earlier in the day, Milos Raonic overpowered Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-1 to reach the third round. The Canadian won 22 of his 23 first-serve points to improve to 8-1 in second-round matches in Miami.
Raonic has reached the third round in each of the past eight editions of the ATP Masters 1000 event. The 6’5” right-hander’s only second-round defeat in Miami came on his tournament debut in 2011.
“It was a very good match for me,” said Raonic. “To start the tournament like this is very positive. I was much better with my serve than I was at the last tournament. I feel better physically as well, so all those things are trending in a positive way for me. Overall, I have to be happy with that.”
[WATCH LIVE 1]Raonic improved to 15-6 at the Florida tournament. The World No. 19 has reached the quarter-finals in Miami on three occasions (2014, ’16, ’18).
The 30-year-old will face Ugo Humbert in the third round. The Frenchman defeated Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-4 to earn his first win in Miami. Raonic saved two match points to win his only previous ATP Head2Head clash against Humbert at last year’s Rolex Paris Masters.