Shapovalov and Opelka advance in St. Petersburg following victories over Troicki and Serdarusic

Denis Shapovalov and Reilly Opelka advanced at the St. Petersburg Open following victories against Troicki and Serdarusic.

Denis Shapovalov kicked off his indoor hard court season with a strong display and victory over Viktor Troicki at the St. Petersburg Open. The Canadian required only 63 minutes to dispatch of the Serbian with 6-2 6-3. From the early goings, it was clear that Shapovalov was the more superior player and generally played better. Troicki struggled immensely to hold his serve which resulted in two breaks for the Canadian who won the set 6-2.

The 2nd set was a bit better from the Serbian who didn't struggle as much on his serve. To be fair, Shapovalov pulled back a bit realising he was completely in control of the match. Ultimately he broke him early to take a lead from where both players played a reserved style of play and once more in the final game to end the set 6-3.

Reilly Opelka had a bit more issues in his match against qualifier Serdarusic. The American spent 96 minutes on the court to win the match 3-6 7-6(5) 6-2. Serdarusic came out strong in the opening set jumping on Opelka early and winning the set. The American recuperated in the 2nd one which he won after a close tiebreak. After that, he had no issues in dispatching of Serdarusic in the final set 6-2 which lasted only 27 minutes.

A bumpy ride but Opelka will take the victory which was ultimately deserved. He will need to play better in order to avoid such complications in the next rounds.