Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins Gatineau Futures title in straight sets

GATINEAU, Que. — Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., beat France’s Gleb Sakharov 6-2, 6-4, to win the Gatineau Futures title on Sunday afternoon.

After a long semifinal match the day before, Shapovalov started the final on a strong note, earning five aces in the first set. The turning point came when Sakharov, the tournament’s top seed, double faulted, giving Shapovalov a break point. He consolidated his break with a solid service game, eventually winning the set.

“He’s a tough opponent and I knew that I had to take it to him from the start,” said Shapovalov. “I didn’t want to give him any opportunities to get back into the match.”

Shapovalov was appreciative of the support that he received from the crowd.

“I would like to thank the fans for coming out all week and supporting me,” he said. “I played some tough matches and you guys really carried me through to the end.”

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In the second set, Shapovalov went down an early break, but held serve on his next service game to break back his opponent. Gaining confidence from his effective serve, the Canadian was increasingly aggressive on his returns and closed out the match in a little over an hour.

Both Shapovalov and Sakharov are scheduled to play at next week’s Futures tournament in Sherbrooke, Que.

The Canadian Press