The Canadians were in focus early on Tuesday at the Paris Rolex Masters with the two Montrealers, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriel Diallo, both kicking off their campaigns with wins in the opening matches of the day on their respective courts in the French capital.
Denis Shapovalov was not so lucky. He was unable to get his revenge on Joao Fonseca, falling to the young Brazilian for the second match in a row.
Auger-Aliassime's bid to sneak into the ATP Finals looked to be in jeopardy when he fell behind in his opening match against Francisco Comesana, but the Canadian settled in and rallied for a three-set victory.
Coming off a quarter-final run in Basel that ended with a back injury, it took time for Auger-Aliassime to find his range. But once he did, he was largely in control and walked away with a 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-3 win.
The Montrealer needs to reach at least the semifinals to keep his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals alive.
It was a bit of an up-and-down day for Auger-Aliassime, who had 11 aces but seven double faults. He still managed to win 84 per cent of his first-serve points and kept Comesana under pressure, winning 49 per cent of the Argentine’s second serve points.
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Auger-Aliassime struggled to find a rhythm in the opening set. After failing to convert a break point at 2-all, three straight unforced errors on his own serve in the following game gave Comesana a double-break point opening and he then double-faulted on the second to surrender a break. However, Auger-Aliassime struck back when the Argentine served for the set at 5-3, taking advantage of a few errors from his opponent to get back on serve.
An uncharacteristically slow start in the tiebreak, with two unforced errors on his first two service points, put Auger-Aliassime in a hole he was unable to dig out of. He surrendered another minibreak as Comesana cruised to take the opening set.
A completely different Auger-Aliassime came out to start the second. He looked much more like his usual self, winning his first 14 points on serve in a row. In the fourth game, he showed off his all-court skills to get a love-40 opening and then bullied Comesana into an error to secure an early break.
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While he missed a break/set point on his opponent’s serve in the seventh game, it did not matter. When his turn came, Auger-Aliassime promptly served out the set to love.
Comesana made a push early in the third set, holding a pair of break points in the Canadians’ opening serve game. Auger-Aliassime was up to the task, blasting a big forehand to save the first and then putting away a smash on the second. He then made Comesana pay in the following game, ripping a forehand passing shot cross-court to go up 3-1.
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The Argentine made one more push and managed to break back for 3-all. However, that proved to be his last gasp. Auger-Aliassime responded brilliantly by immediately reclaiming his break advantage in the following game when Comesana sprayed a forehand well wide.
That kicked off a run of three straight games to secure the win. He finished it off by breaking Comesana again for the match.
Next up for Auger-Aliassime will be Frenchman Alexandre Muller. The pair have split their previous two meetings, with the Canadian winning their 2025 matchup in Hamburg on clay in three sets.
Diallo Breaks Griekspoor’s Run Against Canadians
Tallon Griekspoor has been a kryptonite for Canadians over the past year. The Dutchman had four straight wins over Canucks but that came to an end against Gabriel Diallo in the Rolex Paris Masters first round on Tuesday.
The Canadian No. 3 was 0-2 against the world No. 25 this year, finally solving Griekspoor with a 6-3, 6-4 victory in their first meeting on the concrete. Diallo was efficient when holding an opportunity to break as he capitalized on both of his break points in the match. The big-serving Montrealer also lived up to his billing, winning 84 per cent of his first-serve points while firing 11 aces.
Diallo was automatic on his delivery in the opening set. The 23-year-old didn’t drop a point on serve through his first three service games and held a chance to break at 3-2, 15-40. Griekspoor hit his backhand long and, after another love hold, Diallo led 5-2.
While serving for the set at 5-3, the Montrealer’s dominant start ended at 16-straight service points won. Still, Diallo wrapped up the opener in 30 minutes on his fourth set point.
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To begin the second, the Canadian faced some pressure on his delivery for the first time in the match. Griekspoor held two break points in the second game, but Diallo saved both before holding to level at 1-1.
The Canuck didn’t let his break point chance go to waste in the fifth game, while Griekspoor soon lived to regret his missed break opportunities. After facing his first break points, Diallo won 12 of 14 service points to move within a game ofthe second round at 5-3.
With a match point at 5-4, 40-15, Diallo capped off the contest with an ace to book his ticket into the last 32 in the French capital.
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The Canuck will meet world No. 6 Alex de Minaur in round two on Wednesday. Diallo last faced the Aussie on home soil back in the 2023 National Bank Open round of 32, with de Minaur taking the match in straight sets.
Shapovalov Falls to Fonseca Again
Another week, another tournament, another three-set loss for Denis Shapovalov at the hands of Brazilian teen sensation Joao Fonseca.
Mere days after their quarter-final clash in the Basel quarter-finals, the pair delivered a similar result, with Shapovalov falling victim to a comeback from the youngster in three sets 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
It was a boom-bust day for Shapovalov, who had more winners, 35 to 23, but far more errors too, with 39 to his opponent’s 27. He also had the same number of aces as double faults (nine). Break point conversion was a big difference maker, as Fonseca converted four of six chances while the Canadian only managed two of seven.
The first set was fairly uneventful, with both men cruising on serve. Through the first 11 games, only one went to deuce and there were no break points.
Late in the set, Fonseca started to face pressure on his delivery. He had to fight through a deuce game to stay in it at 4-5 then trying again a 5-6, he netted a backhand at 30-all to give Shapovalov the first look at a break in the match, as well as a set point. The teen then sprayed a backhand off a deep return from the Canadian to drop the opening frame.
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After a strong opening set, Shapovalov played his first bad game to start the second. He netted a forehand to go down break point for the first time in the match and then double-faulted to surrender an immediate break.
The second set was more of a roller coaster than the first. Shapovalov pressed hard to get the break back, pushing the Brazilian’s second service game to three deuces but he could not create a break point. Fonseca made him pay, going up love-40 in the seventh game and making it a double break when Shapovalov netted a forehand.
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The Canadian did immediately break back to reclaim one of the breaks, but it was too little, too late. At the second time of asking, Fonseca was able to serve out the set to love.
Just like the second set, the teen went after his opponent’s serve in the opening game. Shapovalov double-faulted to go down love-40 and then a nice backhand passing shot from Fonseca into the Canadian’s feet secured the early break.
Shapovalov had a golden opportunity to get right back on serve in the following game, racing ahead love-40 himself and ultimately holding five break points in the game. However, he could not convert any of them as Fonseca was able to hold for a 2-0 lead.
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That proved to be the Canadian’s last chance as the teen locked in on serve after escaping the game. He only lost one point on his own delivery the rest of the way, adding another break of his own in the final game.
At this time, Shapovalov is not entered in one of the ATP 250 events next week. If he does not make a last-minute entry or receive a wildcard, his 2025 season is over.
Feature Photo: @swissindoorsbasel_official/@antoniovasquez11
