TORONTO — With 350 spots separating him and his opponent, Nick Kyrgios, in the rankings, even Denis Shapovalov entered his primetime Rogers Cup match at centre court thinking he didn’t have much of a shot.
Three sets later, after a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3 stunner, Shapovalov, who was raised in nearby Richmond Hill, had successfully completed one of the biggest upsets of 2016.
"I guess I’m pretty good," the 17-year-old concluded after the match, his first Masters 1000-level victory.
Shapovalov’s skillset was on full display throughout the night. He dictated points, flashed more power than his spindly frame would suggest, and made it blatantly clear why he was a terror to handle on the junior circuit where he’s achieved his greatest success, most recently winning the boys’ Wimbledon title earlier this month. Of course, his youth was evident as well, mostly in his inconsistency, though he did manage 38 winners to his 34 unforced errors.
His opponent, by contrast, coughed up 44 unforced errors in a match that lasted just over an hour and a half.
After winning the first set in a tie-breaker, there were times in the second set when it felt like it had taken everything Shapovalov had to win the opening frame against the world’s No. 19, and that Kyrgios was merely playing rope-a-dope. Every now and then, between unforced errors and half-hearted swings of the racquet, Kyrgios would unleash a stunner with a simple flick of the wrist, a reminder of what he’s capable of. You know, when he feels like it.
Shapovalov stayed composed during the set and held his own even amid Kyrgios’ (very brief) flashes of brilliance. Often, like a maestro, the younger opponent dictated the rhythm and controlled points.
Yet, as he tried to push the pace as the match progressed, Kyrgios responded time and again with soft shots and blasé slices. They looked effortless, and I don’t mean it as a compliment. At moments it appeared to shake Shapovalov, who’d put all of his 155-pounds into a booming forehand, only to watch his opponent lazily put it back over the net, content to wait until the kid made the first mistake. Whenever Shapavolav screamed, Kyrgios responded with a whisper, as if to demonstrate how little he had to work compared to the teenager standing on the other side of the net.
Sure enough, as the second set wore on Shapovalov began to rush his shots. Kyrgios, the top-ranked player 21 or under on tour, seemed to be embracing his newfound role as the wily vet.
But Shapovalov never relented. His weapon of choice was a powerful one-handed backhand that he unleashed with a short hop and managed to place deftly throughout the court. That, along with smart and effective — though not overpowering — serves helped Shapovalov win his service games. When Kyrgios was on serve, all the 17-year-old had to do was wait for the Aussie to implode. Kyrgios finished with 18 double-faults, including more than a few ill-timed in the third and final set.
By then, though, it was beyond clear Kyrgios wasn’t giving the local kid his best effort. Down 2-0 in the third, Kyrgios watched the ball leave Shapovalov’s racquet and, before it hit the ground, walked over to the other service box ready for the next point, willing to secede an ace. The serve, it turns out, was wide. Down 3-0 now, he hit another lazy shot, and boos fluttered from the crowd. So he served up an ace on his next shot. Soon after, he slowly skipped to a ball that had lobbed over his head, trying a half-assed circus shot that found the net.
Welcome to the Nick Kyrgios Experience.
Not to be the Baby Ruth floating in the Bushwood pool, but it needs to be acknowledged that Shapovalov’s impressive win came against a player who, for extended stretches on Monday night, appeared to be merely going through the motions.
It took until Kyrgios was down 3-0 in the third set before he seemed to care. He got it to as close as 5-3, but Shapovalov wasn’t about to let this opportunity slide. It’s not every day a top-20 player tries to hand you a win. It was … bizarre.
To his credit, the teenager was never flustered. Inconsistent, sure, but that’s to be expected. Perhaps the most impressive part of the victory was the poise he showed playing through his opponent’s shenanigans. He was assertive. He stayed in control, and looked extremely comfortable in the spotlight.
"You guys really carried me," he told the nearly-packed Aviva Centre crowd before firing autographed tennis balls at them, cupping his ear between shots and prodding the audience to get louder like vintage Hulk Hogan. Unsurprisingly, it was Shapovalov who asked to play on centre court when he received his wild card berth.
"I love playing on a big stage," he said afterwards. "I love impressing people."
Shapovalov’s star has risen dramatically in the last two months, his championship at Wimbledon’s junior draw the moment most Canadians took notice. It’s here at the Rogers Cup in Toronto where another pair of Canadians looking to shine under the lights of centre court over the next two nights, Vasek Pospisil and Milos Raonic, achieved their first big upsets at the Masters level. Shapovalov seemed poised and ready for his turn, though it may have come sooner than anticipated.
Kyrgios, who was applauding Shapovalov’s shots throughout the match, was equally complimentary afterwards.
"He has a great future. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he’s going to progress," he said, adding that the Canadian kid has the makings of "a top player."
The win sets up a tough second-round match against Grigor Dimitrov, another of the top young talents on tour and a player who Shapovalov practiced against at Wimbledon.
The biggest question following Shapovalov’s biggest win as a pro, sadly, is: "How much credit do we give this kid for winning a match his opponent looked determined to give away?"
He’ll have a chance to answer it against Dimitrov and prove he belongs on centre court, right where he wants to be.