Denis Shapovalov was victorious the first time he played fellow Canadian Milos Raonic on the ATP World Tour. The veteran will soon get a chance to avenge that loss. The top two players in the Canadian men's singles rankings are set to square off Thursday at the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. Shapovalov booked his third-round ticket with a win over Britain's Kyle Edmund on Tuesday night while Raonic advanced Wednesday with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Tunisian lucky loser Malek Jaziri. Click on the video player below to watch Raonic's highlights: Match Wrap: Raonic rolls past Jaziri setting up clash with Shapovalov Sports 1:37 Milos Raonic knocks Malek Jaziri out of the Cincinati Masters in straight sets 6-3, 7-5, setting up a third round meeting with Denis Shapovalov. 1:37 "I've watched him for so many years representing Canada so any chance I get to play him and take him on, it's a privilege for me," Shapovalov told the ATP after his win. "So I'm going to go out there and enjoy myself, kind of like I did in Madrid, and hopefully I can play as well." Shapovalov posted a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Raonic last May on clay in their lone head-to-head competitive meeting. The 19-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., won almost 80 per cent of his first-serve points, calling the win a "huge confidence boost." Shapovalov moved ahead of Raonic to become the Canadian No. 1 for a few months before losing the position this week. Contrast in styles Raonic, 27, held steady at No. 29 in the latest world rankings while Shapovalov slid six spots to No. 32 after losing the points gained from last year's semifinal appearance at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. The two players offer an interesting contrast in styles. Shapovalov is a flashy left-hander who can be quite demonstrative on court while Raonic, a big-hitting right-hander, prefers a more composed approach. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., has won eight career titles since turning pro a decade ago. He reached the final four at the 2016 Australian Open and made it to the Wimbledon final later that season. "He showed the way for the next generation because Milos was [world] No. 3, in a final of a Grand Slam and in (Slam) semifinals," Tennis Canada vice-president of high performance Louis Borfiga said in a recent interview. "He's had an incredible impact for the young generation. "Milos is very, very important for the success of Canadian tennis." Shapovalov, who's still looking for his first career ATP Tour win, leads a solid crop of young domestic tennis talent that includes Felix Auger-Aliassime, Francoise Abanda, Bianca Andreescu and others. Raonic has battled a host of injuries in recent seasons but has had some good stretches this year, while Shapovalov is trying to build off his breakout rookie campaign. Likely teammates at Davis Cup Raonic struggled last week in Toronto, falling in the second round to American Frances Tiafoe. Shapovalov lost in the third round to Robin Haase of the Netherlands. This week in Cincinnati, Shapovalov beat Tiafoe in the first round while Raonic opened with a victory over Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic. The Canadians will likely be teammates next month in Davis Cup play in Toronto. Canada will face the Netherlands in a World Group playoff at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. "The future is really bright, not just for the Rogers Cup but for Davis Cup and also for tennis in Canada," said Rogers Cup tournament director Karl Hale. "So you're looking at a 10-year window of tremendous and new accomplishments for tennis in Canada. So, we are very humble as Canadians, but very excited about the future." Play at the US$5.67-million Western & Southern Open continues through Sunday. Djokovic remains in hunt, Zverev falls Novak Djokovic completed his comeback from elbow surgery by winning Wimbledon for the fourth time. He's inching closer to one of the few titles to elude him throughout his career. Djokovic overcame an upset stomach and a sluggish first set Wednesday, beating Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 before heavy rain halted afternoon matches at the Western & Southern Open. Click on the video player below to watch Djokovic's highlights: Novak Djokovic outlasts Adrian Mannarino at Cincinnati Masters Sports 0:23 Novak Djokovic's forehand was on full display in a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Adrian Mannarino at the Cincinnati Masters 0:23 The 10th-seeded Djokovic demonstrated he's back in form by winning Wimbledon title last month. Now he's trying to get his hard-court game ready for the U.S. Open, the latest step in his long comeback. He's been very inconsistent while changing from grass to hard courts. First, he'd love to win a Cincinnati title and complete a personal quest. Djokovic is trying to become the first to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 trophies. Djokovic has reached the finals at Cincinnati five times and dropped all five matches — three to Roger Federer, two to Andy Murray. There was one notable upset in the men's bracket before the rain arrived. Robin Haase beat third-seeded Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 for his first victory against a Top 10 opponent since he beat Zverev last November. He's 7-26 overall against Top 10 players. "Nowadays against Top 10, 20, maybe Top 50, you have to be a little bit lucky," Haase said. Stephens perseveres, Muguruza meltsdown In the women's bracket, defending U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens overcame a thumb injury during a 6-3, 6-2 victory over qualifier Tatjana Maria. A trainer applied a bandage to the third-seeded Stephens' right thumb between the third and fourth games of the second set. The match was Stephens' first since losing on Sunday to Simona Halep in the finals at Montreal. Sloane reached the semifinals last season in Cincinnati — her best finish — before heading to the U.S. Open and getting the title. Defending tournament champion Garbine Muguruza had a third-set meltdown and lost to Lesia Tsurenko 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 after a critical double fault. The seventh-seeded Spaniard was up 4-2 and serving in the third set when she double faulted to drop the game, a look of disbelief coming across her face after her final serve went long. Given the reprieve, Tsurenko closed it out. Seeded favourites who advanced included No. 4 Angelique Kerber of Germany, who survived a challenge from Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. No. 15 Elise Mertens of Belgium also endured a difficult three-set win, defeating Sweden's Rebecca Peterson 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (1), while No. 16 seed Ashleigh Barty of Australia ousted Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 7-5, 6-3. While second-seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark lasted just one set in her second-round contest against Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands before retiring due to a left knee injury. With files from the Associated Press and Field Level Media.<doc-sep>Milos Raonic gained a measure of revenge against Denis Shapovalov on Thursday at the Western & Southern Open, beating the teenager 7-6 (6), 6-4 in a matchup of Canada's top male tennis players. Raonic won the third-round match on his first match-point opportunity when the big-serving veteran showed a little finesse at the net, feathering a shot past Shapovalov to win the match on a break and set up a quarterfinal matchup with the winner of a match between Novak Djokovic and defending champion Grigor Dimitrov. It was the second head-to-head meeting between Raonic and Shapovalov. The first came in May at the third-round of the clay-court Madrid Open, with Shapovalov winning 6-4, 6-4. Match Wrap: Milos Raonic defeats compatriot Denis Shapovalov Sports 1:42 Milos Raonic beat fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (6), 6-4 on Thursday to advance to the quarter-finals of the Western & Southern Open outside Cincinnati. 1:42 It was a different story on the hardcourt at Cincinnati, and Raonic used his preferred surface to his advantage. The 27-year-old form Thornhill, Ont., had 12 aces to just two for Shapovalov. Raonic won 75 per cent of his service points and had seven break point opportunities, converting two. Shapovalov said he tried to mix up the ways he was approaching his returns in an effort to better handle Raonic's serves, including backing up from the baseline and moving in. "It's tough on days like this when he's feeling it so good on his serve — it's not easy to play against. I was just trying to do a bunch of things," Shapovalov said. "Today I figured, you know, he wasn't returning that well off the backhand side, so I kept trying to pin him on that side, and it worked out pretty well for the most part. Maybe I could have moved him around a little bit more, but he was playing really well." 'I had my chances' Shapovalov, the 19-year-old rising star from Richmond Hill, Ont., had a chance to take control the match's momentum when he was serving for set point in the first-set tiebreak. But he missed on two consecutive serves and Raonic converted on his first set point. "It was a good match. I had my chances. Unfortunately, I blew it a little bit," said Shapovalov. "I rushed a little bit on set point, but it's just experience. Stuff like this happens. I'm only 19. I'm just going to learn from it and move forward." Raonic looked like he was going to cruise through the second set after getting an early break and going up 3-0. But Shapovalov converted his only break opportunity of the match to make it 4-3, then tied the set in his next service game. The veteran Raonic proved to be too much in the end, holding serve to go up 5-4 before putting Shapovalov away with a break in a match that took one hour 42 minutes. Shapovalov said he may have lost some focus after the missed opportunity in the first frame. "I came in on a couple of balls that weren't good to come in on and just rushed in general a little bit," he said. "So like I said, it's something I'm going to look back into and just try to take forward. You know, I think on the other side, I did a good job trying to come back. Obviously, he kind of gifted me the game back with three doubles. I still fought and hung in there and tried my best to break and to come back." The match was originally scheduled as the morning showcase on centre court, but was moved to a small side court after a rain delay of over four hours. They played just three points before the wet weather returned, causing another delay of about half an hour. Reclaims top spot The pause in play featured a heartwarming moment as Shapovalov invited a ball boy who was standing and holding an umbrella over him to sit and talk. "I was one of these kids not too long ago, so I know what it means to have a player you're looking up to or any player really just be so nice to you and kind of just have a chat with you," said Shapovalov. "You don't get that experience every day, so I'm sure he's gonna remember that and I think, in a way, hopefully it just kind of motivates him. I asked him if he plays tennis. He told me, 'Yeah, he loves it.' Hopefully, it inspires him to get on the court and play. "Like I said, that's my goal in my career. I want kids to come up and want to play tennis and love the sport, and, yeah, that's what I have been doing. Honestly, it was — he was a really nice guy. We had a nice little chat. It was fun." Shapovalov's win in May ended Raonic's eight-year reign as Canadian No. 1. Raonic, a former world No. 3, reclaimed the top domestic spot this week after holding at No. 29 in the ATP World Rankings while Shapovalov slipped to No. 32.​ Keys, Halep move on Madison Keys used her forehand to beat Angelique Kerber — one of her toughest matchups — and advance to the quarter-finals between more bursts of rain. Three matches held over from the previous night had to be completed first. Top-ranked Simona Halep needed only eight points to complete a gritty comeback that was put on hold overnight by the rain, beating qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic in three sets and then getting some rest with another match scheduled for the night session. Halep advances after 2-day match in Cincinnati Sports 0:38 World No. 1 Simona Halep beats Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, advances to 3rd round. 0:38 After Halep left center court, the 13th-ranked Keys steadied herself after a ragged first set. She'd lost five straight matches against No. 4 Kerber, but relied on her forehand to rally for a 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 win. She hit 35 forehand winners, including the match-ending shot for her first Cincinnati quarter-finals. Halep faced an unusual challenge because of the rain. She appeared to aggravate her lower back on a 105 mph serve during the second set on Wednesday night. After losing the first three games of the final set, she took a medical timeout for treatment. Halep returned to the court and took control, running off four straight games for a 4-3 lead when rain arrived. Seventeen hours later, she was back on court and needed only 5 minutes to complete the 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win on Thursday afternoon. Amanda Anisimova beat qualifier Petra Martic 6-4, 6-3 in a match suspended overnight. Fourth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro beat Hyeon Chung 6-2, 6-3, finally completing the second round in late afternoon. The winners faced the challenge of playing essentially two full matches in one day. Sloane Stephens didn't fare so well Thursday, getting upset by Elise Mertens 7-6 (8), 6-2.<doc-sep>CINCINNATI – Canada’s Milos Raonic cruised into the second round of the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., converted 95 per cent of his successful first serves into points, including 13 aces. He converted three of five break-point opportunities while never facing break point himself. Playing in his first match since retaking the mantle of top-seeded Canadian on the ATP Tour from Denis Shapovalov, Raonic completed the 57-minute win by breaking Lajovic in the final game. Raonic, ranked 29th in the world, next faces lucky loser Malek Jaziri. The Tunisian had a bye into the second round, replacing top-ranked Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the main draw. Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., was scheduled to face Britain’s Kyle Edmund in a second-round match later Tuesday. Edmund and Shapovalov had faced each other five times heading into their latest match, with the Canadian holding a 3-2 edge.<doc-sep>
​Canada's Denis Shapovalov fended off a late charge by Britain's Kyle Edmund for a 6-4, 7-5 win in the second round of the Western and Southern Open on Tuesday. Shapovalov now holds a 4-2 career record against Edmund. Click on the video player below to watch Shapovalov ​in action: Match Wrap: Shapovalov beats Edmund, advances in Cincinnati Sports 1:18 Canada's Denis Shapovalov moves to the 3rd round with 6-4, 7-5 win over Kyle Edmund. 1:18 Shapovalov won the first set after his backhand forced his opponent to race across the court and Edmund's return was too deep, bouncing safely out of bounds. The 19-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., looked to have the second set well in hand, taking a 4-0 lead, but he let Edmund back into the match with a series of unforced errors. After Edmund tied it 4-4, Shapovalov retook the lead, clenching his fist and yelling in triumph after winning the point. Shapovalov had to labour through five match points before finally dropping a volley over the net well out of Edmund's reach for the win. Raonic cruises past Lajovic Earlier on Tuesday, Milos Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., cruised into the second round of the event with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic. Raonic converted 95 per cent of his successful first serves into points, including 13 aces. He converted three of five break-point opportunities while never facing break point himself. Click on the video player below to watch Raonic in action: Tennis Wrap: Milos Raonic cruises into 2nd round in Cincinnati Sports 1:20 Raonic breezed past Serbia's Dusan Lajovic in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the 2nd round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. 1:20 Playing in his first match since retaking the mantle of top-seeded Canadian on the ATP Tour from Shapovalov, Raonic completed the 57-minute win by breaking Lajovic in the final game. Raonic, ranked 29th in the world, next faces lucky loser Malek Jaziri. The Tunisian had a bye into the second round, replacing top-ranked Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the main draw. Shapovalov will face the winner of the Raonic-Jaziri match. in the tournament's third round. Serena's slump continues Serena Williams saw her post-Wimbledon slump continue Tuesday. The 36-year-old American lost 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to the Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova in second-round action at the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio. Since losing to Germany's Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final, Williams has a 1-2 match record. Two weeks ago, she took the worst defeat of her career, falling 6-1, 6-0 to Great Britain's Johanna Konta in the first round at San Jose, Calif. Williams pulled out of last week's event in Montreal for personal reasons, then blew out Australia's Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 6-2 in the first round outside Cincinnati on Monday. Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, won Tuesday by picking on Williams' second serve, taking 15 of 36 points (42 percent). Williams captured just 10 of 35 points (29 per cent) on Kvitova's second serve. "It's always a pleasure to share a court with her, I'm just happy I did well today," Kvitova said of Williams. "She really pushed me a lot. I just tried to stay focused on my serve." Up next for Kvitova is a third-round match against Kristina Mladenovic. The Frenchwoman cruised to a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Slovakia's Viktoria Kuzmova. Federer advances Roger Federer advanced to the third round with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Peter Gojowczyk. It was Federer's first Cincinnati appearance since winning his tournament-record seventh championship in 2015. After a first-round bye, Federer extended his Cincinnati winning streak to 11 matches since losing to Rafael Nadal in the 2013 quarterfinals. Click on the video player below to watch Federer's victory: Federer earns straight sets victory in Cincinnati Sports 1:02 Rogers Federer advances to 3rd round with 6-4, 6-4 win over Peter Gojowczyk. 1:02 The second-seeded Federer, refreshed from a month off after losing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, became the tournament favourite when Nadal withdrew on Sunday night. Karolina Pliskova and Nick Kyrgios also advanced Tuesday in early tournament action. Pliskova moved into the second round by snapping a seven-match losing streak against Agnieszka Radwanska with a 6-3, 6-3 win. "It means a lot because it was against her, and, like, you know, I never beat her," Pliskova said. "We played so many times. I think I always played her at her best level the matches before, so it was always tough."