shapovalov

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is off to a strong start at Wimbledon.

Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., beat No. 19 seed Nicolas Jarry of Chile 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the opening round of the grass-court Grand Slam on Monday.

While grass is not Jarry’s favourite surface (he did not play in any Wimbledon tune-up events), it still was an impressive kickoff for the Canadian.

Shapovalov faced only two break points in the match, winning both of them. He won 83 per cent of points when he got his first serve in.

Shapovalov, 25, had his best career Grand Slam result at Wimbledon when he reached the semifinals in 2021. Last year, he made it to the round of 16.

This marks the fourth year in a row in which Shapovalov has won at least one match at the tournament.

The Canadian will next face the winner of a match between wild card Arthur Fery of Great Britain and Germany’s Daniel Altmaier.