March 08, 2018 - 8:13 PM
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - Canada's Denis Shapovalov cruised into the second round of the BNP Paribas Open, defeating qualifier Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday.
The 18-year-old Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ont., fired six aces and won 88 per cent of his first-service points to win the match at the Masters 1,000 tournament in one hour 13 minutes.
Shapovalov, ranked 44th on the ATP standings, broke his 106th-ranked opponent three times and was broken once.
The match was the first career meeting between the two players.
Shapovalov will play 30th-seeded Pablo Cuevas of Argentina in the second round.
In other first-round action, Toronto's Peter Polansky defeated Marius Copil of Romania 7-6 (3), 6-7, 7-6 (12).
News from © The Canadian Press, 2018