Denis Shapovalov from Canada progressed to the quarterfinals of the Stockholm Open tennis tournament by defeating local favorite Leo Borg with a score of 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 on Wednesday. Shapovalov, the third seed in the competition, showcased a strong performance with six aces and an impressive 83% first-serve points won against Borg, the 22-year-old son of Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg. Despite Borg’s wild-card entry into the ATP 250 event in Stockholm, he struggled on his serve, facing 18 break points during the match and managing to save 11 of them.
The match took a turn in the second set when Borg claimed two of his three breaks in a four-game streak to secure the set. However, Shapovalov, ranked 23rd globally, quickly regained control in the third set, winning five consecutive games after a solid start from both players. The 26-year-old Shapovalov, hailing from Richmond Hill, Ont., will now await his next opponent, either Jacob Fearnley of Britain or another Swedish wild card, Elias Ymer.
In a separate event, Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo exited the Almaty Open tennis tournament after a tough 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-4 loss to Australian qualifier James Duckworth in the second round in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Despite Diallo’s 22 aces and an 82% first-serve accuracy, Duckworth managed to maintain a strong performance, not facing any break points during the match that lasted over two and a half hours. Duckworth will now face third seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the upcoming quarterfinals.
This encounter marked the first ATP main-draw meeting between Diallo and Duckworth, with Diallo having previously defeated Duckworth in the qualifying round of the 2022 National Bank Open in Montreal. Diallo, currently ranked 35th globally, saw his season record drop to 28-22 following this defeat. Additionally, Leylah Fernandez, the fourth seed from Laval, Que., is set to face Hungary’s Dalma Galfi in the second round of the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka on Thursday.