Denis Shapovalov notched one of his most significant wins of the 2026 season on Thursday night, edging out Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. While the scoreline reflects a competitive affair, it was a match defined by the contrasting confidence levels of two of the tour’s most aesthetic shot-makers.
The match began with a statement of intent from the 26-year-old Shapovalov (Canada), who dictated play with his aggressive left-handed baseline game to claim the first set 6-2. The 27-year-old Tsitsipas (Greece) showed he can still compete at the highest level by roaring back in the second set, using his variety to disrupt the Canadian’s rhythm and force a decider.
However, the third set highlighted the “doubt” currently clouding the Greek’s game. Despite landing 74% of his first serves, Tsitsipas lacked the finishing touch, winning only 65% of those points. His inability to make inroads on return was glaring; he managed to win only four points on Shapovalov’s serve in the entire final set. As the pressure mounted at 4-4, the Canadian remained the more consistent of the two, breaking at the final hurdle to convert his first match point after 1 hour and 48 minutes.
A Season of Hesitation for tsitsipas
For Tsitsipas, this isn’t a total collapse of form, but rather a worrying trend of inefficiency. This marks his third consecutive defeat on the ATP Tour, following early exits in Doha (to Rublev) and Dubai (to Humbert). While his season record is 9-6, his 4-6 record in individual singles play suggests a player struggling to find his “clutch” gene in big moments.
BNP Paribas Open 2026: Men’s Singles Draw & Results
1st round
Carlos Alcaraz (1) – Bye
Terence Atmane – Grigor Dimitrov: Thursday
Juan Manuel Cerundolo – Botic van de Zandschulp: Thursday
Bye – Arthur Rinderknech (26)
Valentin Vacherot (24) – Bye
Nuno Borges – Emilio Nava: Thursday
Alexander Shevchenko – Sho Shimabukuro: Thursday
Bye – Casper Ruud (13)
Alexander Bublik (10) – Bye
Maoxin Zhang – Vit Kopriva: Thursday
Francesco Maestrelli – Rinky Hijikata: Thursday
Bye – Luciano Darderi (20)
Cameron Norrie (27) – Bye
Matteo Arnaldi – Mackenzie McDonald: Thursday
Sebastian Korda – Facundo Comesana: Thursday
Bye – Alex de Minaur (6)
Novak Djokovic (3) – Bye
Kamil Majchrzak – Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard: Thursday
Hubert Hurkacz – Aleksandar Kovacevic: Thursday
Bye – Corentin Moutet (31)
Francisco Cerundolo (19) – Bye
Valentin Royer – Benjamin Bonzi: Thursday
Fabian Marozsan – Roberto Bautista Agut: Thursday
Bye – Jack Draper (14)
Daniil Medvedev (11) – Bye
Alejandro Tabilo – Rafael Jodar: Thursday
Chun-Hsin Tseng – Sebastian Baez: Thursday
Bye – Jiri Lehecka (22)
Ugo Humbert (32) – Bye
Alex Michelsen – Daniel Merida: Thursday
Jakub Fearnley – Damir Dzumhur: Thursday
Bye – Taylor Fritz (7)
Lorenzo Musetti (5) – Bye
Marton Fucsovics – Christopher O’Connell: 7-5, 6-3
Dino Prizmic – Tristan Schoolkate: 7-6[5], 3-6, 7-5
Bye – Arthur Fils (30)
Andrey Rublev (17) – Bye
Gabriel Diallo – Mattia Bellucci: 7-6[5], 6-4
Gael Monfils – Alexis Galarneau: 6-3, 6-4
Bye – Felix Auger-Aliassime (9)
Flavio Cobolli (15) – Bye
Miomir Kecmanovic – Daniel Altmaier: 6-3, 1-0 (Ret.)
Jenson Brooksby – Alexei Popyrin: 6-3, 6-4
Bye – Frances Tiafoe (21)
Brandon Nakashima (28) – Bye
Camilo Ugo Carabelli – Martin Damm: 7-6[5], 6-3
Matteo Berrettini – Adrian Mannarino: 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
Bye – Alexander Zverev (4)
Ben Shelton (8) – Bye
Reilly Opelka – Ethan Quinn: 7-5, 7-6[7]
Adam Walton – Quentin Halys: 6-3, 6-3
Bye – Learner Tien (25)
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (18) – Bye
Zachary Svajda – Marin Cilic: 7-6[5], 6-4
Marcos Giron – Mariano Navone: 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
Bye – Jakub Mensik (12)
Karen Khachanov (16) – Bye
Joao Fonseca – Raphael Collignon: 7-6[2], 6-4
Zizou Bergs – Jan-Lennard Struff: 6-3, 6-4
Bye – Tommy Paul (23)
Tomas Martin Etcheverry (29) – Bye
Denis Shapovalov – Stefanos Tsitsipas: 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
Dalibor Svrcina – James Duckworth: 6-2, 6-4
Bye – Jannik Sinner (2)
SECOND ROUND
L. Musetti (5) – M. Fucsovics
D. Prizmic – Arthur Fils (30)
Andrey Rublev (17) – G. Diallo
G. Monfils – Felix Auger-Aliassime (9)
Flavio Cobolli (15) – M. Kecmanovic
J. Brooksby – Frances Tiafoe (21)
Brandon Nakashima (28) – C. Ugo Carabelli
M. Berrettini – Alexander Zverev (4)
Ben Shelton (8) – R. Opelka
A. Walton – Learner Tien (25)
A. Davidovich Fokina (18) – Z. Svajda
M. Giron – Jakub Mensik (12)
Karen Khachanov (16) – J. Fonseca
Z. Bergs – Tommy Paul (23)
Tomas Martin Etcheverry (29) – D. Shapovalov
D. Svrcina – Jannik Sinner (2)