Denis Shapovalov Eliminated in First Round of Australian Open

Denis Shapovalov’s Australian Open campaign ended in disappointment as he was eliminated in the first round. The 24-year-old Canadian suffered a straight-sets defeat to 18-year-old qualifier Jakub Mensik from the Czech Republic.

This is the first time since 2020 that Shapovalov has failed to advance past the opening round of the tournament. He lost the first set 6-3 and was then broken in the ninth game of the second set, which he eventually lost 7-5.

The third set was more fiercely contested, but Shapovalov was once again broken in his final service game, giving Mensik a 6-5 lead. The young Czech sealed the victory with three consecutive aces in the next game.

Shapovalov made his comeback last week after a prolonged absence due to injury and suffered an early exit at the Auckland tournament, losing in the first round to Sebastian Ofner.

Milos Raonic and Félix Auger-Aliassime will also begin their Australian Open campaigns tonight in Melbourne. Raonic faces local favorite and 10th seed Alex de Minaur, while Auger-Aliassime takes on 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem.

Raonic is no stranger to tough first-round matchups in major tournaments, having faced Stefanos Tsitsipas at last year’s US Open. Despite the challenge, Raonic has historically performed well in Australia, reaching the quarterfinals five times and making it to the semis in 2016.

Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime will be hoping to avenge his loss to Thiem at the US Open in their first-round clash. Although both players have had setbacks in recent months, with Thiem struggling with a wrist injury and Auger-Aliassime having limited match play, a potential third-round encounter between Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev looms if they both advance.

It will be a challenging path for the Canadian players in Melbourne as they aim to make their mark at the Australian Open.