Denis Shapovalov

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov defeated American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open tennis tournament.

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native broke on four his six opportunities while firing three aces and committing three double faults. 

The ninth-seeded Shapovalov enjoyed fast starts in both sets on his way to victory. He jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the opening set, and leapt to a 5-1 edge in the second set.

Michelsen, meanwhile, went 2-for-5 on his break point chances and was held without an ace while having five double faults.

Shapovalov will next face American Marcos Giron on Thursday for a chance to earn a semifinal berth.

Giron is 2-0 against Shapovalov in career head-to-heads, with the last win coming on Jan. 7 at the Adelaide International tournament.