Shapovalov causing quite a racket

Canadian teen into Round 4 at U.S. Open

NEW YORK • Denis Shapovalov’s impressive run at the U.S. Open continued Friday when British opponent Kyle Edmund retired from their third-round match with an injury.

The 18-year-old left-hander from Richmond Hill, Ont., was leading 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 1-0 before Edmund called it quits. While leading the third set 3-2, Edmund took a medical timeout and needed a trainer to stretch and treat his left shoulder, neck and back.

“It’s never great to win this way,” Shapovalov told ESPN on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “Hopefully it’s nothing too serious. Kyle’s been playing unbelievable tennis so if he keeps it up he’s going to be doing really well. He’s a very tough opponent.

“It’s very unfortunate but at the same time it’s great to be on to the next round.”

Shapovalov became the youngest player since Michael Chang in 1989 to advance to the tournament’s fourth round. His next opponent will be 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain.

“Carreno Busta is an unbelievable player,” said Shapovalov. “He’s another guy that’s been on the tour for a while and he’s got a lot of experience. He plays big, he goes for his shots, so it’s going to be a tough matchup but I’ve been playing some tough guys and I’ve been doing well and hopefully I can do well in the next round.”

He’s already done pretty well against a seeded player at the tournament, eliminating No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France on Wednesday to advance to the third round.

Shapovalov pressed Edmund as soon as play resumed following the medical break to tie the set 3-3 and then again to take a 4-3 lead, winning 10 consecutive points as the match’s momentum shifted.

Although Edmund eventually won a pair of points, Shapovalov took the third set 6-3. Shapovalov continued to take advantage of Edmund’s hampered mobility and inability to stretch out on returns by firing a pair of aces to start the fourth set before the Briton retired. Denis Shapovalov continued his run at the U.S. Open with a third-round victory over Great Britain’s Kyle Edmund on Friday.

In the first set, Shapovalov found himself in a 3-0 hole but battled back to tie it 3-3. Edmund bore down, however, to take the set 6-3.

An out-of-bounds return by Edmund in the second set gave Shapovalov a 2-1 lead, his first of the match. Edmund flubbed another return on a smashing serve by Shapovalov to give the Canadian the set.

Shapovalov converted four of 13 break points and committed 32 unforced errors to Edmund’s 24.

Shapovalov came into the tournament ranked 69th in the world but that will rise following his success at Flushing Meadows.

It’s been a dream summer for the young Canadian, who gained entry into the main draw of the final Grand Slam tournament of the season last week with three victories in qualifying.

Last month, he became the youngest man to reach a Masters semifinal at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. That tournament included an upset victory over world No. 1 Rafael Nadal.

Meanwhile, Sloane Stephens is into the fourth round, something she last did in 2013. The 24-yearold American won for the 11th time in her past 13 matches as she continues her comeback from foot surgery, beating Ashleigh Barty of Australia 6-2, 6-4.

Former Open champion Marin Cilic made 80 unforced errors and was beaten in the third round by 29th-seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4.

Cilic won the 2014 title at Flushing Meadows. His loss means there will be a first-time Grand Slam finalist this year from the bottom half of the draw. Only one man left on that side of the bracket has even made it as far as the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament.

Schwartzman is into the fourth round at a major for the first time.

Pablo Carreno Busta beat qualifier Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. The 12th-seeded Spaniard has only once been as far as the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam tournament, at the French Open in June.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova moved into the U.S. Open’s fourth round with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over 18th-seeded Caroline Garcia of France. Venus Williams also advanced defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-3 and 6-4.