To afford the child prodigy of tennis, on clay moreover, you have to be perfect. It was while striving to make this match faultless that Denis Shapolov scuttled himself.
A subscriber to double faults and unable to take advantage of his serve, the Canadian did not last long against Carlos Alcaraz, folding his spine 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Friday. The course of Shapovalov and therefore of the last Canadian – in the men’s section – at the Porte d’Auteuil is stopped in the third round.
Even before entering the field, Alcaraz was widely expected to win the first duel between the two men. Five games later, all won by the Spaniard, the result was no longer in doubt.
However, the Ontarian could take advantage of this meeting against the world’s leading racquet to try to breathe some life into his year, especially with the approach of the grass season.
In the second inning, that’s what he did. The left-hander, who was able to count on the support of the crowd, obtained more success. More success, certainly, but even more waste and regrets. He missed a perfect opportunity to destabilize his rival.
PHOTO CHRISTOPHE ENA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Denis Shapovalov
Shapovalov was able to take a 4-1 lead at some point in this set. However, his 10 double faults in the duel, including five in the second set, cost him dearly.
That’s not to mention his service, out of fuel. Striving for perfection, only 56% of his first serves have been in play. In addition, a starving 51% win rate on his first serve and 37% on his second serve illustrates Shapovalov’s struggles. Especially when the exchanges stretched.
Opposite, the Spaniard showed all his superiority with spectacular drop shots before coming from behind to win. He offered clean and precise play.
Shapovalov, unanswered, was not the master of the exchanges as he wishes and seemed drained by the style of Alcaraz. The third and final round was therefore like the first: the emulator of Rafael Nadal was in a class apart.
Separating the wheat from the chaff
It’s a setback for Shapovalov, yes. His record this season is now 9-10, a record below .500 in tennis is far from ideal. It is also far from the expectations the Canadian has of himself.
Nevertheless, there are positives for Shapovalov to take away from his time in the French capital. For the first time in his career, he passed the second round. However, it was his attitude that was remarkable.
Too often, Shapovalov has been explosive when the going gets tough for him. On Friday, he remained calm and did not shout at anyone. It may be a fleeting side effect of his new association with coach Matt Daly — teaming up for a week — but it’s certainly encouraging.
His power was visible against Alcaraz and against the other opponents he faced at Roland-Garros. With a bit more success in some games and keeping a good mentality, Shapovalov could finally take the next step in his career. A place where he’s been stuck for a while now.
Alcaraz’s home
On the central court, Alcaraz arrived with a white and green striped outfit reminiscent of the Nigerian jerseys at the Soccer World Cup. He honored Jay-Jay Okocha by offering a high quality show.
PHOTO BENOIT TESSIER, REUTERS
Carlos Alcaraz and Denis Shapovalov
The 20-year-old improved his record to 33-3 this season. The 2022 US Open winner looked in control throughout and allowed himself some remarkable shots at net, leaving Shapovalov short of solutions most of the time.
Clay, Alcaraz’s favorite surface, allowed him to be even better against an opponent who usually gets into trouble on this surface. Despite Shapovalov having an up and down season, Alcaraz still showed he was simply superior. His ambitions to win the second Grand Slam tournament of the season are more animated than ever.
In the round of 16, Alcaraz will cross swords with Lorenzo Musetti, the 18e world racket. The 21-year-old Italian won against Cameron Norrie in three sets earlier today.