Shapovalov downs Darderi to advance to second round of Miami Open

MIAMI — Canada's Denis Shapovalov downed Italy's Luciano Darderiin three sets Wednesday to advance to the second round of the Miami Open.

Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., fired 16 aces and won 77 per cent of first serves en route to a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-4 winin the ATP 1000 tournament.

Shapovalov next meets 10th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the Round of 64 on Friday.

It will be the sixth career meeting between the two players. Shapovalov won all three of their hard-court matches, while Tsitsipas's two victories came on clay.

Fellow Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, of Montreal, will play his first match Thursday against Australia's Adam Walton.

Auger-Aliassime, currently ranked No. 36 in the ATP rankings, enters the tournament unseeded.

Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and partner, Erin Routliffe of New Zealand, are seeded second in women's doubles. They'll also be in action Thursday against Hanyu Guo of China and Ulrikke Eikeri of Norway.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2024.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version of this story had the wrong Round of 64 opponent for Shapovalov.