Denis Shapovalov will compete in the quarter-final of the ATP 500 event in Dallas. The Canadian faced world no. 4 Taylor Fritz in the second round and prevailed 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 in two hours and three minutes.
Thus, Denis notched his second top-10 win from the last 12 encounters against elite group rivals. The previous came in October 2022 in Vienna against, you guessed, Taylor Fritz. The home player made a reliable start.
However, Shapovalov responded in the second set and toppled world no. 4 in the tie break of the deciding set for a notable triumph.
Taylor did not play badly, finishing the duel with 25 winners and 24 unforced errors. He had the upper hand from the baseline after welcoming over 40 unforced errors from his opponent. Denis erased the deficit after firing 40 service winners.
He converted one of two break points and offered his opponent nine break points, seven in the opener. The lower-ranked player denied seven, serving well in sets two and three and prevailing after a strong performance in the tie break.
Fritz was off to a flying start. The US Open finalist welcomed a forehand error from a left-hander in the first game of the duel and grabbed an early break. Denis hit a double fault in the third game, falling 3-0 behind after only ten minutes!
The American provided comfortable holds in games four and six, building a 5-1 advantage. The Canadian served to stay in the set in game seven and faced three set points. He denied and held to reduce the deficit and gain some confidence.
Taylor served for the opener at 5-2 and faced a break point. He denied them and seized a set point with a smash winner, opening a 6-2 advantage after 31 minutes.Shapovalov made a push on the return in the second game of the second set.
He cracked a forehand down the line winner for a break and a 2-0 lead. The Canadian denied two break points in game three, remaining in front and gaining confidence. A left-hander fired a service winner in the seventhgame and served for the set at 5-3.
Denis provided another fine hold, causing Taylor's mistake and leveling the overall score after an hour and nine minutes. Both players served well in the final set. Fritz led 30-0 on the return in game ten before Shapovalov claimed four straight points and made a huge hold.
The set went into a tie break, and Denis opened it with a drop shot winner. He claimed two points on serve, painting a forehand crosscourt winner for a 3-0 advantage. The American found himself 4-0 behind and missed a backhand at 1-5 to face five match points.
World no. 4 missed a routine forehand on the second, allowing his rival to seal the deal and earn a much-needed notable victory.
