Shapovalov downed by Djokovic in straight sets at Italian Open
Federer, Nadal, Osaka also move on with easy victories
Canadian Denis Shapovalov dropped his round-of-32 match to No. 1 seeded Novak Djokovic on Thursday at the Italian Open in straight sets, losing 6-1, 6-3.
The 20-year-old Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., snapped a four-match losing streak with a win over Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain in the opening round, but Djokovic presented a much stiffer test.
Shapovalov, ranked 22nd in the world, did not have one break-point opportunity against Djokovic at the ATP Tour Masters 1000 clay-court event.
The top seed won 88 per cent of his points on first serve, well above Shapovalov's 56 per-cent rate.
Shapovalov appeared distracted by a flyover from fighter jets performing an air show and double-faulted to hand Djokovic a 3-1 lead in the first, prompting him to have a word with the chair umpire.
Shapovalov set up the match with Djokovic by winning his first-round match against Pablo Carreno Busto on Monday.
WATCH | Djokovic defeats Shapovalov at Italian Open:
Kyrgios throws a chair
Nick Kyrgios walked off the court in a fit of rage after throwing a chair onto the red clay and was defaulted from his second-round match.
First, Kyrgios kicked a water bottle in his match against Norwegian qualifier Casper Ruud. Then he picked up a white chair and flung it onto the court with his right hand.
Before he was defaulted, Kyrgios received a warning for ball abuse, then was docked a point for unsportsmanlike conduct and lost a game for more unsportsmanlike conduct.
WATCH | Nick Kyrgios throws chair during tirade:
Kyrgios, who has a history of bad behaviour, was suspended by the ATP Tour in 2016 for "tanking" a match and insulting fans during a loss at the Shanghai Masters.
The latest incident occurred on an outer court at the Foro Italico with Ruud leading 6-3, 6-7 (5), 2-1.
The men's tour said Kyrgios will lose his $33,635 in prize money from the tournament and 45 ATP points, adding there will likely be further punishment pending an investigation.
Federer, Nadal, Osaka all win
Meanwhile, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Naomi Osaka all advanced with routine wins in the first of their two matches on the day.
A rainout on Wednesday backed up play, causing the title contenders to try and win their double-headers as efficiently as possible to save energy.
Federer saved all seven break points he faced to beat Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-3, then was to play Borna Coric for a spot in the quarter-finals.
"Good thing was this one was not that physical," Federer said. "Borna is tough. I lost to him a couple of times last year."
Eight-time Rome champion Nadal cruised past Jeremy Chardy 6-0, 6-1 and will meet Nikoloz Basilashvili.
The top-ranked Osaka comfortably beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 6-3 and will next face Mihaela Buzarnescu.
Compared to his attacking display in Madrid last week, Federer's defensive game was particularly sharp.
En route to breaking Sousa midway through the first set, Federer ran down a drop shot with a perfectly timed slide and replied with a delicate, angled put away.
Federer fell behind 0-40 in the next game but then won five straight points to secure a 5-3 lead, closing out the service game with a stretch forehand cross-court passing shot on the full run from the corner — drawing a loud roar from the Foro Italico crowd.
Federer hit 25 winners to Sousa's eight.
Also, Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco rallied past fifth-seeded Dominic Thiem 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Others advancing included Kei Nishikori, Diego Schwartzman, and Jan-Lennard Struff.
Osaka, who can hold on to the No. 1 ranking by reaching the quarters, hit a whopping 44 winners and 12 aces.
"My serve was really good," Osaka said. "I just tried to be really calm."
With files from CBC Sports