With a near-perfect serving performance, Denis Shapovalov has powered his way past Steve Johnson to reach the round of 16 at the Japan Open.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The seventh-seeded Canadian conceded only one point on his first serve and had 11 aces in a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) victory on Wednesday.
Shapovalov, who lost in the semi-finals four years ago, will next take on Japanese qualifier Rio Noguchi for a place in the quarter-finals.
"(This was) definitely one of my best serving matches," Shapovalov said.
"I kind of felt like I needed to against Steve ... I'm very happy with my serving performance today and hopefully I can keep it up throughout the week."
Miomir Kecmanovic came back to beat Yoshihito Nishioka 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 while Kwon Soon-woo defeated Mackenzie McDonald 6-3 6-7 (7-4) 6-2.
Australian Associated Press
