(Halle) Canadian Denis Shapovalov advanced to the first round of the Halle Open with a 7-6 (1), 6-4 win on Monday over South African Lloyd Harris.
Shapovalov, ranked 27th in the world, won a season opener on grass. He lost in the first round to Marton Fucsovics last week in Stuttgart.
Against Harris, Shapovalov dominated the first set. The 24-year-old Ontarian then saved three break points at 3-4 in the second set before winning.
Shapovalov had 29 winners against 12 unforced errors. He also got the only break of service of the game in the second set.
In the next round, Shapovalov will face the winner of the duel between German Alexander Zverev and Austrian Dominic Thiem.
For their part, the first two seeds Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas also advanced to the second round.
Second-seeded Tsitsipas needed two hours 22 minutes to defeat Frenchman Grégoire Barrere. Tsitsipas won 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3).
The Greek lost to Richard Gasquet last week in Stuttgart. He looked like he was heading for another loss when he trailed 3-1 in the second set, but he found his bearings in time.
In the next round, Tsitsipas will face Nicolas Jarry.
For his part, Medvedev defeated American Marcos Giron 6-4, 6-3. Tournament favorite Medvedev lost in the final last year.
