Canada Sports News

• Denis Shapovalov defeated the French veteran Gilles Simon, beating the home-crowd favorite, 3-1.
• Vasek Pospisil lost to no.7 seed Matteo Berrettini in straight sets.
• Novak Djokovic also advanced to the next stage without any problems.

Shapovalov Routs Simon

Gilles Simon didn’t want to surrender that easily to the Canadian player. The 35-year old not only took one set from Shapovalov but also had an opportunity to win the second sequence, once he wasted five set points. On top of that, Simon had a break, but he couldn’t win in the end. The final result of this one was 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

Shapo stressed out that he worked hard on improving his mental strength, using help from the professionals in that field.

“Sometimes it’s definitely tough to stay focused but I just try to focus on myself. I’ve been working with a psychologist to kind of implement in my matches a couple routines, a couple things that I’m doing to help me get my concentration back and my focus.”

The young Canadian prospect talked about the situations when Simon argued with the umpire, which sometimes hurts the player’s concentration. Yet, he successfully overcame this tough obstacle and reserved his place in the next round.

The future opponent for Shapo will be the 101st player in the world, Roberto Carballes Baena, a Spaniard who wiped out Steve Johnson in the first round, allowing just two sets to his opponent.

Pospisil Out

Unlike his countryman, Vasek Pospisil lost yesterday, extending his negative streak at French Open to seven straight losses. Berrettini, who is the seventh seed in Paris, was more than convincing, advancing in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3, after just one hour and 48 minutes of play.

The Canadian didn’t hesitate to speak and admit that he has problems when performing on the clay.

“It was not a good day at the office,” said Pospisil. “One to kind of forget. I definitely have struggled on this surface.”

Throughout the entire match, Berrettini dominated and dictated the tempo, showing the difference in class on this turf and indicating that he might be a tough nut to crack for all the favorites at Garros. That is what Vasek told the journalists following the contest, predicting his rival a good result here.

“I can definitely see him having a deep run, making it to the quarters,” Pospisil added.

Berrettini plays with Lloyd Harris in the next round.

Djokovic Swift Against Ymer

The world No.1, Novak Djokovic, defeated Mikael Ymer with 3-0, by sets, 6-0, 6-2, 6-3, starting his quest towards the second Grand Slam title. After exiting the US Open in a pretty strange way, the Serbian is motivated to redeem himself for that slip and show that the is the best in the world.

There were a lot of controversies regarding that moment when he accidentally hit the line umpire with the tennis ball, but according to the Serb, that is all behind him.

The Joker faces Ricardas Berankis in the second round this Thursday.