Canada's Denis Shapovalov has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Geneva Open.

The second-seeded Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., beat Italian qualifier Marco Cecchinato 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-1 in the second round of the ATP Tour 250 clay-court event on Thursday.

Shapovalov won 86 per cent of points when he got his first serve in, 25 per cent better than his opponent.

The Canadian saved four of five break points.

Shapovalov, who got a bye in the first round, will face Serbian Laslo Djere in the quarterfinals later Thursday.

The win over Cecchinato was Shapovalov's first match since he lost a three-set thriller against 20-time Grand Slam champ Rafael Nadal on clay at the Italian Open last week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2021.