WHAT HAPPENED: The US Open continues to be Denis Shapovalov’s most productive Grand Slam. His 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 win over Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen on Thursday evening at the 2019 US Open moved the 20-year-old Canadian into the third round for the third year in a row.
Shapovalov, who one round earlier scored a dominant win over countryman and friend Felix Auger-Aliassime, is putting a five-match mid-summer skid further behind him with each and every match, rounding into form at the right time.
Laaksonen, 27, stumbled late in the first set when, serving at 4-5, 30-40, his opponent forced a forehand error.
The 47-minute second set was decided in a tense tiebreak, Shapovalov moving ahead two sets to love. The Tel Aviv-born lefthander registered six of his 13 aces in the middle set alone.
Coached by both his mother, Tessa Shapovalova, and the now-retired ATP pro Mikhail Youzhny, Shapovalov scored an early break in the third set, moving ahead for good. He would finish with 37 winners to 24 unforced errors, while winning 84 percent (37 or 44) of his first-serve points.
Laaksonen, ranked No. 119, was trying to break through to the third round of a major for the first time, having reached the Round of 64 earlier this year at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
WHAT IT MEANS: With 4th seed Dominic Thiem, 8th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and 10th seed Roberto Bautista Agut having been shown the exit, Shapovalov’s quarter of the draw is wide open. Can he reach the US Open quarterfinals?
MATCH POINT: Shapovalov was Named ATP Newcomer of the Year and ATP Most Improved Player of the Year in 2017.
