Davidovich impresses but falls short in Indian Wells

Alejandro Davidovich was unable to reap the rewards of his intense and patient play against Denis Shapovalov at the first Masters 1000 of the year in Indian Wells on Sunday. The Spaniard lost in three sets (6-4, 4-6 and 2-6) to the world number 13 after a lapse in concentration.

Shapovalov proved to be a class above Davidovich and despite his inconsistency, the Canadian put his skills out on display, taking advantage of his impressive backhand and deep shots that are capable of ridiculing even the most seasoned veterans.

Davidovich's game plan was going to perfection for almost two hours before being driven to despair. In the first set, the Rincón de la Victoria local had breaks in every one of Shapovalov's serves bar one and he was close to going 3-0 up, eventually winning the set 6-4.

Unfortunately for Davidovich, Shapovalov turned up the heat in the second set, as he was fully aware that he couldn't afford any mistakes. The Canadian's unforced errors were reduced drastically, but the Spaniard still couldn't take advantage, wasting the chance to break his serve.

In the second set's seventh game, which lasted over ten minutes, Shapovalov took the battle to Davidovich and eventually broke his serve, which was the match's determining factor, and went on to win the set.

That was the beginning of the end for Davidovich. Shapovalov put the pressure on in the third set, breaking his opponent's serve three times in a row to take a 5-1 lead, with the set and match finishing in the Canadian's favour.

Davidovich showed a lack of concentration and a burst of frustration that put him off during that third set. After being knocked out of the tournament in Indian Wells, the Spaniard will now fly to Florida to take part in the Miami Masters 1000 as the hard court season comes to a close.