Tiafoe and Shapovalov Surprise at the Japan Open
Tokyo – In a day full of surprises at the Japan Open, Frances Tiafoe and Denis Shapovalov, seeded players, suffered unexpected defeats in the first round.
Tiafoe, the eighth seed, failed to impose his game against qualifier Marton Fucsovics, falling with scores of 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. The American’s frustration was evident as he smashed his racket against the court after Fucsovics’ victory.
The defeat marks a tough moment for Tiafoe, who has experienced a fall in the ranking to 29th place. This is his fourth consecutive defeat, adding to his elimination in the third round of the US Open and his recent setbacks in the Davis Cup.
Fucsovics will face the winner of the match between Jordan Thompson and Brandon Nakashima in the next round.
For his part, the seventh seed, Denis Shapovalov, was also eliminated after losing 7-5, 6-3 to Daniel Altmaier, who will now advance to face the winner of the match between Damir Dzumhur and Aleksandar Vukic.
