Raonic moves on but Shapovalov falls to qualifier at Stuttgart Open

STUTTGART, Germany – Milos Raonic made a winning return to the court while Denis Shapovalov was upset by a qualifier Wednesday at the Stuttgart Open.

Raonic, the seventh seed from Thornhill, Ont., fired 15 aces and won 97 per cent of first service points in a 7-6 (8), 6-2 win over Mirza Basic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The hard-serving Canadian had missed the end of the clay-court season, including the French Open, with an undisclosed injury.

Raonic will face Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in the second round of the grass-court tournament.

Shapovalov, the sixth seed from Richmond Hill, Ont., will not be joining his Davis Cup teammate in the next round after losing to world No. 169 Prajnesh Gunneswaran of India.

Gunneswaran committed just one double fault and converted four of eight break points in a 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-3 win over Shapovalov, ranked 23rd in the world.

Shapovalov broke Gunneswaran five times on 10 chances but was done in by unforced errors in a match delayed two days by rain.

Gunneswaran next faces Argentina’s Guido Pella, with the winner of that match taking on top seed Roger Federer in the quarter-final.