(New York) Canada’s Denis Shapovalov reached the quarter-finals of the US Open with a 6-7 (0), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over seventh seed David Goffin, Sunday.
Posted on September 6, 2020 at 3:10 p.m.
Updated at 23:02
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21-year-old Shapovalov is the 12e seeded at Flushing Meadows and became the first Canadian in tournament history to reach the quarterfinals.
Goffin managed only one breakage against Shapovalov in the fourth set. The Ontarian managed to convert five breaking points against his opponent and had 52 winning shots. He was also explosive on the serve, achieving 13 aces.
“I’m definitely super excited to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in a Grand Slam,” said Shapovalov.
“I knew the battle would be tough today, a long rally. I tried to have the same consistency as him while imposing my game and being aggressive when I had the chance. I feel like I did really well in all four races. “
Shapovalov lost the first set in the tiebreaker. He then recovered to win the next three.
The 21-year-old broke Goffin’s serve for the first time on six occasions in the second set, to gain control.
He got another break in the first game in the third set to give himself a chance to take the lead and gave himself a 2-0 lead to manage to win afterwards.
Shapovalov converted his third break point to take a 2-1 lead in the fourth set and Goffin lost his serve also afterwards to give his rival a 4-1 advantage.
Félix Auger-Aliassime and Vasek Pospisil could join Shapovalov on Monday, as the two play their fourth round match respectively.
Shapovalov will now cross swords with No 20 Pablo Carreño Busta, who progressed when front-runner Novak Djokovic was disqualified for accidentally hitting a linesman with a ball.
It’s a surprising end for Djokovic, who was trying to win an 18e Grand Slam title in career. The Serbian started the season with a 26-0 record.
“According to Grand Slam regulations and after he intentionally hit the ball dangerously on the field or regardless of the consequences, the United States Open official disqualified Novak Djokovic from the 2020 tournament,” announced in a release the American Tennis Association (USTA).
The USTA added that because he was disqualified, Djokovic will lose all of his ranking points obtained during the tournament and he will be fined according to the amount of money he raised during the tournament.
As 2019 champion Rafael Nadal and all-time Grand Slam title leader Roger Federer forfeited the tournament, Djokovic arrived in New York as a favorite.
However, it all fell apart at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Djokovic had just lost a game to his opponent, Pablo Carreño Busta, and trailed 6-5 in the first set.
As he walked towards the sidelines, Djokovic sent a ball behind him. It hit a linesman in the neck, who collapsed on her knees at the back of the field.
After a several-minute discussion involving field officials, including tournament official Soeren Friemel, Djokovic attempted to explain his gesture.
“For him, he didn’t want to intentionally hit the referee. He admitted that he was angry, that he hit the ball and hit the linesman, but he said that was not his intention. He added that he shouldn’t be punished for it, said Friemel, who decided to end the game. We agreed that he hadn’t done it on purpose, but the facts remain. He hit a linesman and she was clearly injured. ”
Friemel did not clearly see what happened and said he was not allowed to review the video sequence. Egli and Tourte summed up the situation. Friemel acknowledged, however, that even though it was not his intention to hit the line judge, she was still injured and that was enough to enforce the rules.
Head referee Aurélie Tourte then announced the disqualification and Djokovic stepped forward to shake hands with Carreño Busta.
“I was a little in shock,” admitted Carreño Busta during a video conference after the meeting. The rules are the rules. The referees and supervisors did the right thing. It was not an easy decision to make. ”
Djokovic left the stadium without speaking to the media.
It seemed clear that Djokovic’s intention was not to reach the linesman, as he wasn’t looking in her direction, and the Serb looked worried when he realized what had just happened.
But players who hit the ball out of frustration or make contact with officials on the field have been disqualified in the past.
This was the case in 2017, when Shapovalov was disqualified from a Davis Cup game when he hit the head referee in the face with a ball.
Earlier today, Alexander Zverev used his powerful serve to take down a weakened opponent on his way to the quarterfinals of the United States Tennis Open for the first time in his career.
Zverev unchecked 18 aces and signed a straightforward 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who had to receive a bandage to his right ankle after the first game of the third set and who has never was able to regain his mobility afterwards.
Zverev, the fifth seed, is the first German tennis player to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows since Tommy Haas in 2007. In the next round, he will cross swords with Borna Coric (No. 27).
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