Shapovalov loses but impresses in five sets against Tsonga

Denis Shapovalov's first-ever Australian Open came to an end on Wednesday, but the Canadian went out with a bang, hitting almost all of the hot shots in his five-set loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Everything was working for the 18-year-old Canadian:

1

The one-handed backhand return winner down the line:

2

The inside-out forehand:

3

The down-the-line forehand:

4

The running forehand pass:

5

The jumping backhand:

6

And even the sliding forehand:

But in the end, despite a 5-2 Shapovalov lead in the final set, it was Tsonga who came out on top, thanks to his refusal to give up and some clutch play in the final games.

Shapovalov's performance, though ultimately unsuccessful, earned him a shoutout from Rod Laver himself:

People are even starting to (almost) get his name right:

Tsonga's third-round opponent is another known shotmaker, Nick Kyrgios.

Read Joel Drucker and Nina Pantic on TENNIS.com as they report from the Australian Open, and watch them each day on The Daily Mix:

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