Denis Shapovalov from Canada progressed to the quarterfinals of the Stockholm Open tennis tournament by defeating local favorite Leo Borg with a score of 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 on Wednesday. Shapovalov, seeded third in the competition, showcased an impressive performance with six aces and an 83% success rate on first serve points against Borg, the 22-year-old son of Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg. Borg, who received a wild-card entry into the ATP 250 event in Stockholm, struggled on his serves, facing 18 break points during the match but managing to defend 11 of them.
In the second set, Borg seemed to gain momentum with three crucial breaks in a four-game streak to secure the set. However, Shapovalov, ranked 23rd globally, swiftly turned the tables in the third set by winning five consecutive games after a balanced start from both players. The 26-year-old Shapovalov, hailing from Richmond Hill, Ontario, is set to face either Jacob Fearnley from Britain or another Swedish wild card Elias Ymer in the next round.
Meanwhile, Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo exited the Almaty Open tennis tournament after a hard-fought battle against Australian qualifier James Duckworth, resulting in a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-4 loss in the second-round match in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Despite Diallo’s impressive 22 aces and an 82% accuracy on first serves, Duckworth managed to dominate without facing a break point throughout the match, which lasted over two and a half hours. Diallo encountered eight break points, successfully defending seven but succumbing to a crucial break by Duckworth in the third set.
Duckworth is now set to meet third seed Flavio Cobolli from Italy in the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 tournament. The encounter marked the first main-draw meeting between the players, with Diallo having previously defeated Duckworth in the qualifying rounds of the 2022 National Bank Open in Montreal. Diallo, currently ranked 35th in the world, experienced a setback in his season record, dropping to 28-22.
In another tennis event, fourth seed Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, is scheduled to compete against Dalma Galfi from Hungary in the second round of the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka on Thursday (Wednesday night ET).
