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Denis Shapovalov of Canada plays a shot against Nick Kyrgios of Australia during Day 1 of the Rogers Cup at the Aviva Centre on July 25, 2016 in Toronto.Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

As they get their earliest experiences on the ATP Tour, most young players are scheduled to play on a back court, and they nervously muddle through a loss to some world-class pro before a handful of observers.

That was the exact opposite of what happened to intriguing 17-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov in his maiden Rogers Cup match Monday night.

Just more than two weeks after winning the junior Wimbledon title, the teen from Thornhill, Ont., made a roaring Rogers Cup debut in a night-time match on Centre Court, where he shocked a less-than-stellar world No. 19 Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3.

"We were asked at one point if he was given the opportunity to play a night match on Centre Court in his first Rogers Cup, would he like that, and Denis answered: 'Yes,'" Adriano Fuorivia, Shapovalov's coach, said earlier on Monday. "He was asking for the big stage. He's been brought up to go for it."

The win propels the fascinating Canadian teen into the second round, where he will face world No. 40 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.

Shapovalov was backed by a huge hometown crowd at York University's Aviva Centre, which is located about seven kilometres from Tessa Tennis, the academy where he grew up being coached by his mother, Tessa Shapovalova, a former national team player in the old Soviet Union. She and his father, Viktor, were at Monday's match, along with his brother Evgeniy and some kids from the academy.

"Nick is an incredible tennis player, top 20, maybe even a future No. 1, so obviously I didn't expect to win, but I thought I'd just go fight for every point and that's what I did," an exuberant Shapovalov said after the match. "I thought it would be fun with all the fans [on Centre Court]. I love playing on a big stage; I love impressing people, so it was very fun for me."

Since winning the junior Wimbledon title two weeks ago, he's had a brief taste of life on the ATP Tour. He made his main-draw debut at an ATP World Tour tournament last week, suffering a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 loss to Lukas Lacko of Slovakia at the Citi Open in Washington.

When arriving for the Rogers Cup, the player largely unknown before his junior Wimbledon title was asked to do several TV interviews and was repeatedly surrounded by autograph-seeking kids. He played in a ball hockey exhibition on Centre Court alongside players such as Novak Djokovic and NHL stars Connor McDavid and Tyler Seguin. He got the opportunity to practise with world No. 8 Tomas Berdych.

Monday's match seemed like a mere measuring-stick opportunity, a chance to see how far off Shapovalov might be in this brief encounter with ATP talent. Kyrgios had also been a junior Grand Slam champ just three years ago when he took the boys' Australian Open title.

Centre Court was about two-thirds full for the Monday night match. A few fans held up a large cardboard cut-out of Shapovalov's head. Others tried out a sing-song "Let's go Shap-O." It felt like the youngster's coming-out party, and the Canadian fans were enamoured with the fair-haired and athletic newcomer.

Twice in the first set, Kyrgios was on the verge of breaking Shapovalov, but both times the youngster clawed his way out of it to remain on serve. The Canadian saved four break points.

At times, the enigmatic Australian seemed to be loping around the court as if distracted or disinterested. The more experienced player was suffering with double faults and unforced errors early on. At one point on his serving motion, his racquet flew completely out of his hand.

The Canadian couldn't earn a break point of his own, but he kept surviving. The two played to a first-set tiebreak.

A chant of "Go Denis Go" began late in the tiebreaker as the Canadian won it on big serves, winners and letting Kyrgios make his own mistakes. Shapovalov punctuated the win with a fist-pumping holler and the crowd that filled the stadium a little more than half full roared with a mix of joy and surprise.

At times, Shapovalov delivered stunning cross-court backhand winners or beautifully placed aces. In other moments, his inexperience was glaring as he scrambled to keep up with Kyrgios's pace. But it was obvious the world No. 19 was not at his best.

The Australian went up a break early in the second set and cruised to a 6-3 win as the Canadian began to commit several mistakes of his own. In the third, however, the Canadian went up 2-0 and let Kyrgios choke on unforced errors. The winning game went to deuce before Shapovalov smashed an ace for advantage and then sealed the match with a cross-court forehand winner. Kyrgios had 18 double-faults on the night.

"You know, he's coming off of one of the best results of his career; he has a great future," said Kyrgios. "I'm really looking forward to see how he's going to progress into the seniors and transition. He's a top player."

Shapovalov got increasingly fired up as the night progressed, as the charismatic teen called on the Toronto crowd to bring the noise. The likeable kid said the win does wonders for his confidence.

"I played a couple of players now and I have played them tight. I was practicing with Tomas Berdych and I went 6-4 in a set with him, so I feel like I'm very close to these guys," said Shapovalov. "I didn't know how Nick's game would suit up against mine. He's got a huge serve. It was very difficult for me to return. Yeah, I think I played some very good tennis today."

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