Pospisil beats Sousa at ASB Classic, sets up all-Canadian second-round clash

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil downed Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday in the first round of the ASB Classic, setting up an all-Canadian second-round tilt.

Pospisil will face second-seeded Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., on Wednesday at the ATP 250-level tournament.

Shapovalov, the top-ranked Canadian at No. 13, received a bye into the second round.

Shapovalov and Pospisil led Canada to a runner-up finish at the Davis Cup Finals in November in Madrid.

It will mark the first time Shapovalov and Pospisil square off on tour.

The 146th-ranked Pospisil fired five aces to Sousa’s two and won 83 per cent of his first-service points en route to upsetting his No. 58-ranked opponent.

The match was interrupted by rain with Pospisil leading 4-2 in the second set.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2020.