Shapovalov Advances to Third Round at Miami Open, Fernandez Ousted

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov had a thrilling victory in the second round of the men’s singles at the Miami Open, while Leylah Fernandez fell short in the third round of the women’s singles on Saturday.

Shapovalov, hailing from Richmond Hill, Ont., fought hard to secure a 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3) win over Argentina’s Thiago Tirante in a match that lasted nearly two hours and 25 minutes. This win came after Shapovalov received a first-round bye at the Masters 1000 event.

On the other hand, Fernandez faced a tough match against Ashlyn Krueger of the United States, ultimately losing 6-1, 7-5.

Shapovalov, seeded 27th, is set to face off against third seed Taylor Fritz of the U.S. in the next round. Fritz secured his spot with a straight-sets victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

In his match against Tirante, Shapovalov excelled in winning 75 per cent of his first-serve points. However, he struggled with double faults, committing 11 compared to Tirante’s one. Despite having three match points in the second set, Shapovalov couldn’t close out the match, leading to a decider.

Meanwhile, Krueger displayed a strong performance against Fernandez, winning crucial return points and maintaining her serve throughout the match.

After her singles loss, Fernandez teamed up with Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the U.S. for the doubles competition but suffered a defeat to Sofia Kenin of the U.S. and Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine.

Other Canadian players in contention include Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is scheduled to face 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the upcoming round.

Additionally, second seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand were set to compete in a women’s doubles match against China’s Xinyu Wang and Saisai Zheng later on Saturday.

The Miami Open continues to showcase top-tier tennis talent, with players from around the world vying for victory in this prestigious tournament.