Canadian Denis Shapovalov lost 7-5, 1-6 and 6-3 to Frenchman Hugo Gaston in the first round of the Open 13 in Marseille on Tuesday.
Shapovalov, who is ranked 127th in the ATP world rankings, is now 1-1 in his career against Gaston. The latter, 86th in the world, bowed to the Ontarian in the first round of the South of France Open last week.
Gaston, a player qualified for the main draw, will now face his compatriot Ugo Humbert, the 21st racket in the world.
Shapovalov demonstrated his superiority in terms of power, as evidenced by his 17-3 advantage in aces, but he also lacked precision. The tennis player from Richmond Hills committed no less than eight double faults, compared to only two for Gaston, and he was also much less opportunistic in a break situation.
Shapovalov thus stole Gaston’s serve four times in only seven occasions, and he was able to preserve 10 of the 14 break points offered to the Frenchman. Gaston sealed the outcome of the match after an hour and 54 minutes of play.
Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime, seventh seed in the tournament, will make his debut in Marseille on Wednesday, against Frenchman Quentin Halys, 101st in the world. This will be the first duel between them in their careers on the ATP circuit.
Auger-Aliassime will play his first match since his 4-6, 6-4 and 6-4 defeat against Kazakh Alexander Bublik in the semi-finals of the Montpellier tournament last week. Bublik then won the fourth title of his career.