‘Serious’ approach does the trick for Frances Tiafoe as he gets the better of Denis Shapovalov in Toronto

ATP Tour
Frances Tiafoe enjoys his victory

A change in strategy helped Frances Tiafoe to end his losing streak against Denis Shapovalov as he secured a straight-set win over the fifth seed at the Canadian Open.

Shapovalov entered the match having won the previous four encounters between them, but Tiafoe won their sixth clash 6-1, 6-4 in Toronto to reduce the deficit to 2-5.

The American, who made the main draw as a lucky loser, claimed back-to-back breaks in the first set, which lasted under 30 minutes, while a break in game nine of the second set was good enough for the win.

“This is the sixth time we have played. It’s not too crazy,” Tiafoe told ATPTour.com. “I came with a much more relaxed approach the last couple times we played. You know, joking with him before the match. [I] was much more serious today. I really wanted to win. I definitely approached it in a different way… It was just my night tonight.”

Up next is Gael Monfils after the 11th seed from France defeated John Millman from Australia 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Earlier in the day, 16th seed Jannik Sinner lost against James Duckworth with the Australian qualifier’s 6-3, 6-4 victory earning him a third-round clash against top seed Daniil Medvedev.

Denis Shapovalov Frances Tiafoe Gael Monfils Jannik Sinner

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