Canadian Denis Shapovalov lost sharply 6-4, 6-1 to Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in the round of 16 of the Mallorca Open on Wednesday.
Shapovalov, the third seed of the tournament, lowered the flag in front of the 56th racket in the world after an hour and seven minutes of play on the Spanish lawn.
It was the first match of the 16th player in the world, who had a bye in the first round of this tournament.
Shapovalov has now lost his first game in five consecutive tournaments (Mallorca, London, Stuttgart, Paris and Geneva).
The 23-year-old Ontarian was messy for much of the game, notably committing six double faults, against only two for his opponent. Bonzi also outperformed the Maple Leaf representative with his first serve.
The tennis player from Richmond Hills, Ontario, lacked opportunism; he converted just one of his nine break points. In comparison, the Frenchman managed four breaks in five attempts.
Shapovalov’s last victory dates back six weeks, when he stunned Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 at the Rome Masters.
Bonzi will now face Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in the quarter-finals, who defeated Argentina’s Sebastian Baez 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 for the tournament’s eighth seed.
On the other hand, Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the tournament due to an abdominal injury, indicating in passing that he did not want to aggravate his injury on the eve of Wimbledon.
The Australian, 45th player in the world, confirmed his decision before his round of 16 match against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
“I’ve played a few tough games lately and unfortunately I woke up this morning with pain in my abdomen. I immediately visited the tournament doctor and he recommended me not to play tonight, explained Kyrgios. I will follow his recommendations, since I don’t want to risk having to miss Wimbledon next week. »
Kyrgios had taken over two hours to overcome Laslo Djere 5-7, 7-6(1), 7-6(1) in the previous round.
The Australian was one of the headliners at Mallorca, along with favorites Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas started his tournament with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Ilya Ivashka, never facing a break point.
“After my first serve, I regained my feelings and I mastered it better, explained the Greek. My opponent had a lot of difficulty adapting afterwards. My game was on point. That’s what I wanted to accomplish today. It was a good game, from start to finish.”
Tsitsipas, the sixth seed, will face American Marcos Giron in the next round, who defeated his compatriot Mackenzie McDonald 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Medvedev began his evening run by knocking out Aslan Karatsev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. The Russian will face Bautista Agut in the next round.
Medvedev will not take part in Wimbledon this year following the All England Club’s decision to ban all Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament due to the invasion of Ukraine. Medvedev has lost his last two finals on grass.
The Mallorca Open serves as a preparatory tournament for Wimbledon, which gets under way on June 27.
