Ontarian Denis Shapovalov lost in two sets 7-6 (6) 6-4 to Norwegian Kasper Rudd on Saturday morning in the Geneva Open final in Switzerland.
Rank 15e Racket of the world and 2e The tournament seeded Shapovalov made an impressive comeback as he trailed 2-6 in the first set of the tiebreak, but was unable to get the ball back quickly 6-7.
Al Kindi then suffered a serving in the second set, resulting in the first and only break of two matches on the board. It fought well after that, but Rudd, 3e Syed, he was the best in 1 hour and 41 minutes of play.
PHOTO LAURENT GILLIERON, assistant press
Casper Rudd
Shapovalov won 78% of the race in his first serve and made eight aces, but made five double faults.
His opponent, who is well controlling, won 42% of Shapovalov’s second serve balls. He didn’t make double mistakes and made four aces.
The two 22-year-olds know each other very well, and they often face each other in the junior ranks. However, this was the first time they had encountered each other on a professional level.
“He played very clean today. He gave me nothing. Al-Kindy admitted during the press conference after his defeat,” “He was solid.”
He was the best player today.
Denis Shapovalov
When asked if he believed he had demonstrated his ability to perform on clay, Shapovalov replied that he did not think he had anything to prove in this regard.
“I play for myself,” he said. I’ve had good results on clay in the past so I don’t think it’s surprising that I’m able to play on that field now. ”
He said he’s satisfied with the past few weeks, but admits it was tough physically. Remember he made life difficult for Rafael Nadal in the Round of 16 in Rome a week ago, conceding defeat in a duel that lasted 3 hours 27 minutes. So the Canadian will allow himself some rest before heading to Paris to participate in the Roland Garros Championship, whose qualification will begin on May 24 and the main draw will be on May 30.
He said, “I feel good on the clay, I feel I can play well there.” Terrain is pretty fast there. I’ve played great games there in the past. I think it’s a tournament where I can do well and see myself go far into the future. It’s a place I like to play. ”
Denis Shapovalov defeated Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas in the semi-finals. This was the third time he reached the final of the ATP Championship. The last time was on November 3, 2019, when he lost to Novak Djokovic. He had won the Stockholm Open a few weeks earlier, on October 14th.
As for Rod, that is his second singles title. The first was held in February 2020, in Buenos Aires.