Shapovalov sets up 3rd-round tilt against Alcaraz with win at French ...

Canada's Denis Shapovlaov has advanced to the third round at the French Open for the first time with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Italy's Matteo Arnaldi.

To go any further, he'll need to get past world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Shapovalov wrapped up Wednesday's win with his fifth break of the match. He set up match point with a powerful service return down the middle that Arnaldi couldn't handle cleanly, then won when the Italian hit the ball well out of bounds for his 41st unforced error.

The men's No. 26 seed from Richmond Hill, Ont., had a less strenuous outing against Arnaldi compared to his marathon session with Brandon Nakashima in the first round.

WATCH | Shapovalov takes out Arnaldi:

Denis Shapovalov advances to the third round at the French Open

3 hours ago

Duration 2:24

For the first time in his career Denis Shapovalov will move on to Round 3 of the French Open by defeating Italian Matteo Arnaldi (6-2,3-6,6-3,6-3).

Shapovalov lost serve just once on the only break point he faced Wednesday while scoring five breaks on 16 chances in a match that lasted two hours 55 minutes.

That set up Shapovalov's first career meeting with Alcaraz, who beat Japan's Taro Daniel 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 6-2.

Later Wednesday, Leylah Fernandez looked to join Shapovalov in the third round when she faced Denmark's Clara Tauson in women's action.

In first-round women's doubles play, the eighth-seeded team of Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazil's Luisa Stefani defeated Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Germany's Tatjana Maria 6-2, 6-2.

Meanwhile, Peyton Stearns highlighted a day of upsets by recording a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 win over 17th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko.

Russians Anna Blinkova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva also knocked off seeded foes to advance at Roland Garros.

Stearns, a former player at the University of Texas, benefited from 28 unforced errors to lower the boom on Ostapenko, a 2017 French Open champion.

"It was definitely crazy, nerve-wracking, overwhelming — all of the emotions into one," the 21-year-old Stearns said. "But I think at the end I settled down and was really able to come to peace with myself and play my tennis instead of who I was playing, where I was playing and whatnot.

Stearns advanced to set up a match against No. 9 seed Daria Kasatkina, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic. Kasatkina advanced to the semifinals at last year's French Open.

Blinkova rallied from a set down to post a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over fifth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France.

Pavlyuchenkova also overcame a first-set setback to notch a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over 15th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova of Russia.

Putintseva bounced 19th-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 decision.

Also on Wednesday, second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka collected a 7-5, 6-2 win over Belarus countrywoman Iryna Shymanovich, while third-seeded Jessica Pegula posted a 6-2 win in the first set against Italian Camila Giorgi before the latter retired due to injury.

No. 24 Anastasia Potapova overcame dropping the first set to seize a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Mayar Sherif of Egypt. No. 27 Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania bested Sara Errani 6-3, 6-0. No. 28 Elise Mertens of Belgium topped Camila Osorio of Colombia 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Also, Sloane Stephens defeated Varvara Gracheva in straight sets.