Maybe this is a turning point for Denis Shapovalov.
The Canadian upset top seed and world No. 4 Taylor Fritz 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the second round of the Dallas Open on Thursday.
Shapovalov, the world No. 54, recorded a mini-break on the first point of the tiebreak and never trailed the rest of the way. He saved seven of nine break points during the match.
“It feels incredible obviously. Taylor is a super tough opponent … He came out super solid and I came out a little sluggish,” Shapovalov said, per the ATP Tour. “It was difficult. I’m definitely happy with my fight. I’m happy I was able to turn it around in the second set and I was able to keep that momentum going."
Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., has battled several injuries in recent years, dropping his ranking from a career-best of No. 10 in 2020. The latest win came over the reigning U.S. Open runner-up, setting up a quarterfinal on Friday against No. 6 seed Tomas Machac of Czechia.
Shapovalov now leads the lifetime series 6-4 against Fritz.
As is often the case, Shapovalov didn't hold back from displaying his emotions on court.
In the first set, Shapovalov argued with the umpire about the graphics at the back of the court being a distraction.
After a game, he said: "Tennis is the show, not the graphics in the background."
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.