On Tuesday, Vasek Pospisil couldn’t find his way back to victory on Centre Court at IGA Stadium in Montréal.
The Canadian, whose career took flight at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers several years ago, has been slow to bounce back from the shoulder injury that kept him on the sidelines for over three months. Since returning to the game in late June in England, he hasn’t fully recovered, and his loss to 25-year-old Tommy Paul of the US is clear evidence of that.
Despite putting up a very worthy fight, Pospisil fell in two sets (6-4, 6-4) after 85 minutes of play against the No.34. Getting broken at the start of each set sealed his fate. The 32-year-old veteran, who rose as high as No.25 in singles and No.4 in doubles, never stopped believing, and there were sparks of greatness in his serves, volleys and drop shots. Still, willpower alone wasn’t enough.
In another afternoon match on Rogers Court, Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain posted an easy win over 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini (11) to move on to the second round. Their two-setter took only 76 minutes (6-3, 6-2).
On Court No.9, things also ended at 6-3, 6-2 for Marin Cilic and Borna Coric of Croatia. The US Open champion relied on his huge serves to wrap things up in 1:22.
