Rob Shaw and Chilean partner Francisco Cayulef were defeated in the quad doubles semifinals on Thursday at Roland-Garros in straight sets by top seeds Guy Sasson and Niels Vink.
With Shaw’s defeat, no Canadians remain at the 2025 French Open.
Partnering with Cayulef for the first time, Shaw found himself playing from behind the whole day. The pair struggled to close out games and were beaten 6-0, 6-2 in just over an hour.
Early on, it looked like Shaw and Cayulef were going to give the top seeds trouble when they held a break point in the opening game. They were unable to convert and their opponents swiftly asserted their dominance. Sasson and Vink converted on their first break point in the following game for a 2-0 lead.
The top seeds were dialled in in the first set. They only trailed in a game twice but managed to take every game in a 23-minute bagel. Sasson and Vink carried their momentum into the second set, scoring two early breaks and denying the Canadian-Chilean team almost every time they had a chance to get a game.
By the time Shaw and Cayulef got on the board, they were already staring down the barrel of defeat. Their first hold of the match came when they were already trailing 5-0 in the second set. They then managed a break to get to 2-5 before Sasson and Vink slammed the door, breaking for a sixth time to wrap up the win.
Shaw was knocked out of the quad singles draw on Wednesday in the quarter-finals. He lost a hard-fought two-setter to Andy Lapthorne 7-5, 7-5.
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“Don’t know what to think about this match. I played reasonably well, especially given the rainy conditions,” said Shaw of his singles defeat. “Despite not being able to push well or see well, I still managed to find myself with ample opportunities each game. Andy executed really well down the stretch of both sets which was probably the difference. I wish the first set could be replayed under normal conditions, but that’s life.”
Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak
