The pair of Karen Khachanov and Denis Shapovalov defeated Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (12/14), 10-6 in the first round of the men’s doubles at the Cincinnati Masters 2022 on Monday. Rain had interrupted the match but the players and the crowd rather enjoyed the stoppage. All four of Khachanov, Shapovalov, Middelkoop and Bopanna left no stone unturned to entertain the fans present on the court. It all started with Khachanov showing his dance moves to the spectators when the music was played during the delay.

While Khachanov’s partner Shapovalov was spotted smiling on his seat, Middelkoop and Bopanna also started dancing from the other end to add more fun for the crowd. Later, Shapovalov also raised his hand in air to give more support to the spectators.

Watch the video here:

Need some rain delay entertainment?

Give Karen a call #CincyTennis @KarenKhachanov @denis_shapo @Mside83 @rohanbopanna pic.twitter.com/NRIc3iRxbO

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 15, 2022

After the match, Shapovalov thanked the fans for coming for his match. “Seriously thanks to all the fans who stayed late and through the delays!!” the Canadian tennis player wrote in an Instagram story. “Your energy the entire match was (lit emoji).”

Khachanov and Shapovalov will next face Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in the round of 16.

Murray and Soares advanced with a 4-6, 6-2, 10-7 victory over eighth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. The pair will look to keep its momentum going when it faces the duo of Khachanov and Shapovalov.

Taking about other matches, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios pair started their Cincinnati Masters campaign with a straight-set victory over Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini on Monday. The Australian pair clinched the match by 6-0, 6-4 in 60 minutes. They will next face top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in a second-round clash.

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On the other hand in the singles category, Cameron Norrie survived a major scare from Dane Holger Rune to reach the second round in Cincinnati on Monday. In a hard-fought clash, the Briton displayed a mixture of grit and quality as washed up Rune’s powerful groundstrokes, while he broke the 19-year-old’s defences with his aggressive shots to triumph 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4 after two hours and 34 minutes in Cincinnati.

(With ANI Inputs)