Denis Shapovalov comes up aces to breeze into 2nd round of Japan Open
Felix Auger-Aliassime wins 1st-round match at China Open
Canada's Denis Shapovalov is on to the next round at the Japan Open after ousting Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in straight sets in Tokyo.
Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., beat Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4, serving up 16 aces and saving all five break points in the 82-minute match.
It was the 34th-ranked Shapovalov's second consecutive win over Kecmanovic, ranked 51st in the world. Shapovalov won their only previous meeting at the Winston-Salem Open in August.
WATCH | Denis Shapovalov blasts past 1st round of Japan Open:
Tuesday's win continues a stretch of strong play for the 20-year-old Canadian. He advanced to the semifinals of the Chengdu Open last week in China, losing to eventual winner Pablo Carreno Busta.
Shapovalov will next play the winner of Carreno Busta vs. David Goffin, who won the tournament in 2017.
Auger-Aliassime gets win at China Open
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime snapped a four-match losing streak with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round of the China Open on Tuesday.
The world No. 20 from Montreal won a whopping 91 per cent of his points on first serve and saved Ramos-Vinolas' lone break point at the ATP Tour 500 hard-court event.
Ramos-Vinolas, ranked 44th in the world, was coming off a semifinal showing at a tournament in Zhuhai, China last week.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime advances in China:
Auger-Aliassime, 19, rocketed up the rankings during the first seven months of the year, but started his slide with a third-round loss to Russian Karen Khachanov at his hometown Rogers Cup in early August.
The Canadian will face a stiffer test in the second round when he meets No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.
The sixth-ranked Zverev won the only previous meeting against Auger-Aliassime, prevailing 6-1, 6-4 on clay earlier this year in Monte Carlo.
with files from Canadian Press