Aslan Karatsev outfought the weather and ninth seed Denis Shapovalov at Indian Wells to record a 7-5, 6-2 victory to keep up his challenge for an ATP Finals spot next month.
The No. 12 seed had fewer errors in a match littered with mistakes – Shapovalov had 26 unforced errors, 12 more than his Russian opponent.
“The first thing you want to try to do is keep focusing because the weather conditions were tough for both of us,” Karatsev said.
“The first set I tried to find my serve, especially on the second serve, it didn’t work. The main goal was to keep focused… It was super windy today.
“[It’s my] first time here in Indian Wells. It’s an amazing place. It’s nice to be here, to stay here, the atmosphere is really cool. The stadium is almost full, so it’s really nice to play.”
Karatsev converted the only break of the first set for 6-5 when Shapovalov missed a backhand volley and took there second set with ease as the Canadian’s error counted rose.
