TORONTO, August 8, 2018
For the first time in five years, four Canadians have reached the second round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto. Peter Polansky, Milos Raonic, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov will all be in action on Wednesday after having successful made it through the opening round. In 2013, five Canadians reached the second round.
Novak Djokovic began his quest for a fifth Rogers Cup title by signing a 6-3, 7-6(3) win over Mirza Basic, a qualifying player who reached the main draw thanks to the withdrawal of Hyeon Chung. In the second round, Djokovic will face Polansky.
Auger-Aliassime earned his first Rogers Cup win and his fourth on the ATP World Tour on the eve of his 18th birthday. Auger-Aliassime beat Lucas Pouille of France 6-4, 6-3.
“I think it’s kind of a statement for me to win these matches, to prove to myself and others that I can compete with these guys. That I have the level to be there, to compete in the Top 100,” Auger-Aliassime told ATP World Tour.com.
“I’m very happy that I have won my first match, but for me it’s just another step towards where I want to go, where I want to be as a player. So I’m not the type of player to really, the type of guy, in general, to get excited for wins. I have a long-term vision, and this is just another great step in my career.” On Wednesday, he will take on Daniil Medvedev.
During the night session, Denis Shapovalov dominated Jérémy Chardy, winning 6-1, 6-4 in 63 minutes. His next opponent will be the Italian Fabio Fognini, who recently won a tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico. It was his third title of the year.
Other results and news:
- On Tuesday, Stan Wawrinka defeated Nick Kyrgios while Robin Haase disposed of Kei Nishikori. The young guns Stefanos Tsitsipas and Frances Tiafoe were also victorious.
- There will be wall-to-wall action on Wednesday: World No. 1 Rafael Nadal will lead an exciting programming schedule, which also includes the defending champion Alexander Zverev, the 2009 finalist Juan Martin del Potro, Raonic, Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime, Dominic Thiem and Wawrinka.
- Nadal will be looking to win a fourth Rogers Cup crown and a first in Toronto since 2008. He hadn’t participated in the event in Ontario since 2010 due to injuries.
