Denis Shapovalov seen cheering in the stands as girlfriend Mirjam Bjorklund makes main draw breakthrough at Miami Open 2023
Denis Shapovalov’s girlfriend Mirjam Bjorklund scored a significant victory at the 2023 Miami Open, and the Canadian tennis player was in the stands to watch it all unfold.
Mirjam Bjorklund was contesting the Miami Open qualifiers. She defeated Belgium’s Ysaline Bonaventure (6-4, 4-6, 6-3) in the opening qualifying round, and on Monday (March 20), the Swedish tennis player earned a consequential three-set win over Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The triumph has guaranteed the 24-year-old a spot in the main draw of the tournament. This marks Bjorklund’s main draw debut at a WTA 1000 event.
The World No. 149 had abundant support throughout the match, with her boyfriend Denis Shapovalov being her main cheerleader. The former World No. 10 proudly took to social media to express his delight about his girlfriend’s breakthrough.
“Mirjam Bjorklund with a solid win to qualify for Miami Open. Proud of you,” he wrote.
Denis Shapovalov, who has been in a relationship with the Swede since 2019, has always made it a point to be present in the stands to cheer her on during matches.
The Canadian tennis player was also in the news recently for his strongly-worded essay about the gender pay gap in sports -- which he was made aware of by his girlfriend when she made the main draw of a WTA 250 event.
"I said to Mirjam, ‘Oh, great! You’ll get at least $7,000 just to be in the main draw,’" the 23-year-old wrote in his essay for The Players Tribune. "She just looked at me like I was completely new to tennis. I’ll never forget it. She was like, ‘Denis … I think it’s like a thousand dollars.’ I was like, ‘What are you talking about? How is that possible??’"
Denis Shapovalov gears up for his own participation at Miami Open 2023
Mirjam Bjorklund is successfully through to the main draw of the WTA 1000 event at the Miami Open and will be contesting her first match against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini for a spot in the Round of 64.
Meanwhile, Denis Shapovalov, the 24th seed at the Masters 1000 tournament, has received a bye in the first round. The 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist, who has struggled with his form this season, will hope for better results in Miami, where he was the semifinalist in 2019. The athlete will face off against the winner of Juan Pablo Varillas and Guido Pella in the Round of 64.