Canada’s Denis Shapovalov ousted by Kei Nishikori in straight sets at Citi Open

WASHINGTON – Canadian Denis Shapovalov was ousted in straight sets 7-6 (1), 6-3 by Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the third round of the Citi Open tennis tournament on Thursday.

Shapovalov, seeded ninth in Washington, struggled with inconsistency in the first set, managing to get in just 43 per cent of his first serves but winning 68 per cent of them. He also notched four aces and three double faults.

The teenager from Richmond Hill, Ont., lost the set in a tiebreaker to the seventh-seeded Nishikori.

Shapovalov’s struggles continued in the second frame as he could only land 47 per cent of his first serves and was broken by Nishikori twice.

Shapovalov, who is ranked 26th in the world, finished with seven aces, six double faults and didn’t manage a single break point.

The match was pushed to late Thursday evening after Rock Creek Park Tennis Center dealt with prolonged rain delays.