Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Denis Shapovalov played one of his most complete matches of the season, defeating 26th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(3), 6-3 to advance to the third round of Madrid.
The Canadian struck 33 winners and fired eight aces to collect his second clay court win of 2024.
In a match dripping with quality from the outset, the two opponents engaged in some thrilling and physical baseline rallies on the red clay in Spain.
It was Shapovalov who struck first, unleashing a pair of early forehand winners to break for a 2-1 lead, only to see the Argentinian immediately level the score, as very little separated the two players. The opening set would remain level until 5-all as the Canadian again caught fire, hitting consecutive winners from the backhand side. A delicate drop shot winner secured a break to love.
Read more: Auger-Aliassime, Fernandez rally to win Madrid Openers
Etcheverry again responded, saving a set point, and hitting a running forehand pass to break back and force a tiebreak. There, the Canadian gained the upper hand, winning three consecutive points to build a 5-2 lead, before closing the set 7-6(3) in 68 minutes.
The Richmond Hill, Ontario player maintained his balanced and controlled aggression in the second, striking a pair of clean winners to break for a 3-1 lead, while calmly keeping his nerve in his service games, despite amassing 12 double faults over the course of the match.
See also: Shapovalov rallies past Diaz Acosta in Madrid
Shapovalov won 20 of 24 first serve points, frequently keeping the Argentinian off balance and unable to create opportunities on return.
At 5-3, 15-15, a perfectly measured lob winner positioned him well in the final game. A final forehand strike that hit the baseline forced an error from Etcheverry to secure the victory.
It was Shapovalov’s second win over a top 30 opponent this season, and first career match with the Argentine.
The 25-year-old Canadian is through to the third round of Madrid for the first time since reaching the semi-finals in 2018.
Shapovalov will await the winner of Borna Coric or Alexander Zverev Sunday, as he aims to return to the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 for the first time since 2022.
