Victoria Mboko and Denis Shapovalov both stood across the court from wildcards in their opening match at the Australian Open, each advancing thanks to straight-set victories for Canada’s first wins in Melbourne this year.
Mboko marked her Australian Open debut with a comfortable 6-4, 6-1 win over fellow teen Emerson Jones of Australia on Monday morning.
The Canadian No. 1, coming off a taxing week in Adelaide where she reached the final, showed no signs of fatigue as she was able to play spoiler for the Australian crowd. Mboko converted on four of ten break points which was all she needed, as the 19-year-old didn’t face a single break opportunity on the day.
The two debuting teens battled through some tight service games to start the match, but Mboko was the first to hold break points at 2-2. The Burlingtonian was unable to convert on her two chances before another pair of opportunities came at 3-3, 15-40, where she saw Jones’ forehand sail long for the loss of serve.
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Again, the Australian teen didn’t allow Mboko to cruise through her service games, but the Canadian held at 4-3, 40-30, to follow up her break, then at 5-4, 40-30, to take the first set.
However, the second was a different story. Following back-to-back breaks for a 3-0 advantage, Mboko won eight of her next ten service points to go one-game away from a spot in round two. The Canuck wasn’t tasked with serving out the match as she held break point at 1-5, 40-AD, and Jones double faulted under the pressure.
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Mboko’s next test is against world No. 60 Caty McNally of the United States in the second round, but the Canadian No. 1 will be back on the court Monday night for doubles, teaming with American teen Iva Jovic to take on Ulrikke Eikeri and Ingrid Neel in round one.
Shapovalov with Strong Serving Display in Round-One Win
Shapovalov displayed shades of Milos Raonic in his Australian Open first-round victory over Yunchaokete Bu on Monday morning.
The Richmond Hillian’s delivery powered him to a 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-1 win, firing 19 aces and committing no double faults in the over two-hour match, while winning an impressive 87 per cent of his first-serve points. The 26-year-old also dominated the winners battle, finishing with 47 compared to Bu’s 11.
With Shapovalov’s serve at his best, a single break was essentially all the Canadian needed to take the set and that was the case in the first. The world No. 23 broke in the sixth game but had to fend off the only break point he faced in the match to avoid the reply, ultimately racing out to a 5-2 lead.
At 5-3, 40-30, Shapovalov unleashed his eighth ace of the first and took his one-set lead.
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In the second, the Canadian No. 2’s delivery was automatic, conceding just two points on serve and winning all his first-serve points in the set. Shapovalov was unable to convert on break points in the third and fifth game which led to the set needing a tiebreak.
At 2-1, Shapovalov capped off a lengthy rally by painting the singles line with a forehand winner and scoring the decisive mini-break. The Canuck extended his perfect first-serve record the rest of the way, sealing the tiebreak 7-3.
Shapovalov found his rhythm on return in the third, piling the pressure early on and converting on his second break point of the second game. At 2-0, dropped his only service point of the set but, at 40-15, the former world No. 10 held to inch closer to the second round.
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A break in the sixth game all but sealed the match for Shapovalov as, at 5-1, 40-love, he punched his ticket into the last 64, appropriately finishing off the match with an ace.
The Canadian’s second-round matchup will be against veteran Marin Cilic, a former Australian Open finalist in 2018.
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Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
