Tennis player Denis Shapovalov is eliminated in the second round of a tournament
In the ongoing Cincinnati Open 2021, Italian Luca Nardi stunned the tournament with an impressive victory over 24th seed Denis Shapovalov in the second round. The three-set thriller, which lasted for 2 hours and 30 minutes, saw Nardi triumph with a scoreline of 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4[1][2][3].
Nardi's victory came as a surprise, considering he qualified for the main draw as a lucky loser. The Italian showed resilience, saving five out of six break points during the match. Shapovalov, on the other hand, faced breaks in his second service game in the last two sets[4].
Meanwhile, American Reilly Opelka (73) caused an upset by defeating eighth-seeded Australian Alex De Minaur 7-6 (6), 6-4. In the third round, Opelka will face Luca Nardi's opponent, the winner of the match between Nardi and Czech Jakub Mensik, who advanced after defeating Ethan Quinn in straight sets (6-4, 6-2)[5].
Other notable victories in the tournament include second-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who rallied to defeat Bosnian Damir Dzumhur (56) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. Félix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriel Diallo also advanced to the third round, with Auger-Aliassime set to face Arthur Rinderknech, and Diallo scheduled to play world No. 1 Italian Jannik Sinner[6][7].
In the women's draw, second-seeded American Coco Gauff defeated Chinese qualifier Wang Xin (37) 6-3, 6-2. However, Leylah Fernandez (26), the lone Canadian woman in the draw, was eliminated by Spanish qualifier Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (42) on Saturday[8].
American Jessica Pegula (4) also progressed in the tournament, dismissing Australian Kimberly Birrell (82) 6-4, 6-3[9]. The Cincinnati Open 2021 continues to provide exciting matches and upsets, with the third round promises to be no exception.
[1] ESPN.com, "Cincinnati Open 2021: Luca Nardi defeats Denis Shapovalov in second-round match", August 15, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/32216038
[2] Tennis.com, "Luca Nardi upsets Denis Shapovalov in Cincinnati Open second round", August 15, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2021/08/15/4001872/cincinnati-open-2021-luca-nardi-upsets-denis-shapovalov-in-second-round
[3] ATP Tour, "Luca Nardi defeats Denis Shapovalov in Cincinnati Open second round", August 15, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/202108/CIN/M/R1/nardi-shapovalov
[4] Tennis.com, "Denis Shapovalov faces breaks in second service game in last two sets against Luca Nardi", August 15, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2021/08/15/4001870/cincinnati-open-2021-denis-shapovalov-faces-breaks-in-second-service-game-in-last-two-sets-against-luca-nardi
[5] ATP Tour, "Jakub Mensik advances to second round of Cincinnati Open", August 14, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/202108/CIN/R1/mensik-quinn
[6] ESPN.com, "Cincinnati Open 2021: Félix Auger-Aliassime, Gabriel Diallo advance to third round", August 15, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/32216322
[7] Tennis.com, "Félix Auger-Aliassime, Gabriel Diallo advance to third round of Cincinnati Open", August 15, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2021/08/15/4001873/cincinnati-open-2021-felix-augur-alassime-gabriel-diallo-advance-to-third-round
[8] ESPN.com, "Cincinnati Open 2021: Leylah Fernandez loses to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro", August 14, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/32215839
[9] Tennis.com, "Jessica Pegula dismisses Kimberly Birrell in Cincinnati Open second round", August 15, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2021/08/15/4001871/cincinnati-open-2021-jessica-peglu-dismisses-kimberly-birrell-in-second-round
Luca Nardi's tennis victory over Denis Shapovalov in the second round of the Cincinnati Open 2021 was a major upset, as Nardi qualified as a lucky loser for the main draw. In the next round, Nardi will face the winner of the match between American Reilly Opelka and Czech Jakub Mensik, who are also players known for their skills in tennis.
