MADRID (Reuters) - Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov produced a relentless display of big-hitting to deny France’s Benoit Paire the perfect 29th birthday present with a 7-6(5) 4-6 6-4 victory in the second round of the Madrid Open on Tuesday.
World number 43 Shapovalov struck 38 winners, including 18 on his forehand, to seal victory in just over two hours.
The 19-year-old will next face compatriot Milos Raonic or third seed Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16 on Thursday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Croatia’s Borna Coric upset ninth seed Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 6-2 in the opening round.
Coric fought back from 4-3 down to win five straight games en route to a second straight victory over the Spaniard, who he also beat at the Qatar Open earlier this year.
Coric was leading 5-2 in the second set when heavy rain interrupted play at Caja Magica, and after a 40 minute delay he returned to complete his 16th match win of the season.
Dutchman Robin Haase snapped a four-match losing streak to record the 200th match win of his career, defeating South Korean Chung Hyeon 6-2 6-0 in the other first round match.
Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris