Lithuania’s Vilius Gaubus upset 27th-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov in straight sets Friday at the Italian Open tennis tournament.
Gaubus won the second-round singles match 6-3, 6-4.
Shapovalov had issues with his serve. The Canadian did have four aces — Gaubus had none — but also double-faulted nine times, compared to just twice for his opponent.
And Gaubus had a first-serve percentage of 78 per cent, compared to 53 per cent for Shapovalov. The Lithuanian converted on three-of-six break attempts — the last giving him a 5-4 advantage in the second set.
Shapovalov had seven break opportunities but only converted one.
Shapovalov fired three aces in the first set to none by Gaubus, with both players having one double-fault. But Gaubus had a first-serve percentage of 84 per cent — compared to 55 per cent for Shapovalov — and converted one of his three break chances while the Canadian went 0-for-5.
Montreal’s Leylah Fernandez, Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., and Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ont., were all scheduled to see action in women’s singles.
