(Paris) Canadian Denis Shapovalov reached the second round of the French Open on Monday, while his compatriot Félix Auger-Aliassime was shown the exit despite himself.
Auger-Aliassime, the tournament’s 10th seed, was upset 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 by Italian Fabio Fognini. The latter converted eight of his nine break points at the expense of the Quebecer, visibly diminished physically. But FAA had made no secret that he was not arriving in his best physical shape. He remained on a package before his quarter-final in Lyon last week, because of a painful shoulder.
“My shoulder is not well, but that was not the problem, explained Auger-Aliassime to the journalists present. I felt bad on Sunday evening, I slept badly. I woke up this morning struggling with a bunch of stuff, thinking, ‘That can’t be, I’m sick for the game. I tried to warm up, see a doctor, see what I could take. I had cramps, I couldn’t move. I wasn’t sure if I should try or quit, I didn’t know. I need to recover. I play with painkillers. I try to get away with it. I hope it will go better. »
An obviously mentally heavy moment for Auger-Aliassime, whose defeat then becomes secondary to his physical condition.
“I need to understand why I got sick. A week ago, in Lyon, I was also sick. I have to take stock, understand a few things, do a whole series of analyses. I haven’t been in good health lately. I fight a bit with my body, to try to play, to train. »
Before continuing on a more optimistic note: “It’s a difficult time, but there is no need to panic. »
Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., struggled at times but recovered in time to defeat American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 3-6 and 6-3.
Shapovalov, the 26th seed, notably committed 15 double faults during a duel which continued for 3 hours and 47 minutes on Parisian clay.
The representative of the maple leaf will face the Italian Matteo Arnaldi in the next round.
The Canadian had to overcome uneven play and medical time-out to claim victory over Nakashima – a young American who won the ATP Next Generation Finals last year. Shapovalov, a former No. 10 player in the world, is looking to regain his form on clay at this Grand Slam. He has a disappointing 7-9 record in Paris.
“I’m finding my way back,” Shapovalov wrote on Twitter after the game.
On the women’s side, Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino lost 6-3, 7-5 in the first round to Russia’s Diana Shnaider.