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Thiem, Kyrgios also clash on Day 5

Last year, Denis Shapovalov became only the second Canadian to crack the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, and the first to break through to the quarter-finals of the US Open.

Countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime, still a teenager, became the ATP Tour’s youngest five-time finalist since some kid named Rafael Nadal a decade-and-a-half earlier. Vasek Pospisil got healthy and once again played his way into Grand Slam relevance. And Milos Raonic, pushing 30, served notice that he’s still a force to be reckoned with, scoring two marquee wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Those Canucks are everywhere these days. There’s simply no avoiding them.

“Sooner or later, you’re going to run into Canadians in the draw,” quipped the 11th seed Shapovalov, who after a 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 dismissal of Bernard Tomic finds himself matched up (yet again) with longtime friend and rival Auger-Aliassime in the third round of the 2021 Australian Open.

This will be their third encounter at a major, Shapovalov having claimed back-to-back first-round wins at the US Open in 2018 and 2019. But their connection goes back a bit further than that. In fact, Auger-Aliassime, now 20, says he was a wide-eyed eight-year-old when he first met Shapovalov. The two were training at a 12-and-under camp in Toronto, and Shapovalov was already swinging away with seemingly reckless abandon, the owner of an ambitious one-handed backhand that seemed to stretch from Ontario to the Yukon Territory.

“He was already playing with an adult racquet,” recalled the 20th seed Auger-Aliassime. “A one-handed backhand at nine years old? It was pretty impressive from the first time I saw him. I’m still impressed by what he does.”

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Though Shapovalov, 21, insists he has no memory of their first match in the juniors, Auger-Aliassime admits he was on the receiving end of a humbling 6-0, 6-0 double bagel.

“We’ve played so many times, it kind of blurs together,” laughed Shapovalov.

The stakes will be much higher on Day 5 at Melbourne Park. A spot in the Round of 16 would be a career-best in Melbourne for either player. Regardless of the outcome, the fellow Canadians say they’ll remain friends.

“It’s not the first time; nor the last time we’re going to play,” said Auger-Aliassime. “We’re teammates. Whenever we’re together, we have a good time. When we share an experience like ATP Cup, we always want the best for the team. But now, playing against each other, it’s a big opportunity for both of us. It’s an important match. We’ll just compete as hard as we can.”

Raonic, who will take on Marton Fucsovics, is into the third round of the Australian Open for the 10th time in the past 11 years. His best showing came in 2016, when he fell 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 to Andy Murray in the semi-finals. The 14th-ranked Raonic is 2-0 in ATP Head2Head matches against the Hungarian, however, Fucsovics is flying high after a thrilling five-set upset of 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/nova ... iew'>Novak Djokovic</a> owns a record eight <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... Australian Open</a> titles.

Two-time defending titlist Novak Djokovic was tested against American Frances Tiafoe in the second round, but despite battling both the heat and his opponent’s unpredictability, he found a way to get through in four sets, 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-3. The top-ranked Serb will face another American on Day 5 in 27th seed Taylor Fritz. He’s won both his previous matchups with the power-server, both of which came in 2019 on clay in Monte-Carlo and Madrid.

“He a better player on hard courts,” Djokovic said. “He grew up in the United States playing on hard courts. That’s what he loves. He’s a big server, also a bit flashy, unpredictable. Big forehands and backhands, flat. I need to stay solid and focused, and wait for my chances.”

Fritz’s scouting report is relatively simple. Djokovic, after all, owns a record eight titles here. He’ll do what he does best, which is just about everything.

“It’s Novak,” said the Californian. “I’m just going to have to play my best tennis. Luckily for me and my game, I possess the ability if I’m on. I can serve well enough to where I won’t get broken and I can be extremely aggressive on the groundstrokes and I can take control if I'm on. I just have to do everything I possibly can in the next couple days to give myself the best chance of playing my best tennis.”

There’s plenty of buzz surrounding the third-round tussle between home favourite Nick Kyrgios and third seed Dominic Thiem of Austria. After spending nearly an entire calendar year away from the match court, Kyrgios is playing some inspired ball. The 25-year-old Australian overcame France’s Ugo Humbert in five sets on Wednesday, saving two match points to record a 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory.

“Now I feel old,” said Kyrgios after the win, one of the most memorable of his career. “I just want to have a glass of red wine after my match… I’m hurting thinking about playing Thiem right now.”

Elsewhere, sixth seed Alexander Zverev will face 32nd seed Adrian Mannarino. The German has reason to be confident; he topped the Frenchman three times in 2020 alone, including a 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win en route to the US Open final. No. 8 seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina is set to play Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev, and No. 18 seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria meets 15th seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain.