Shapovalov knocks off his Canadian idol
MADRID Milos Raonic was a huge influence on Denis Shapovalov during the Canadian teenager’s formative years in the sport.
On Thursday, the youngster showed his tennis idol he’s ready to join him among the sport’s elite.
Shapovalov defeated Raonic 6-4, 6-4 in the Madrid Open third round, completing their first ATP World Tour meeting in 82 minutes.
“He’s such a legend in our country,” Shapovalov said.
“I mean he’s been dominating the sport in our country and in the world. I’ve always looked up to him.
“To beat a guy like that, it’s a huge confidence booster for me. Hopefully I can take that going forward.”
Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., is currently ranked 24th in the world, 19 positions higher than Shapovalov.
Raonic is a former world No. 3 who is trying to return to form after battling injuries in recent seasons.
The 27-year-old has eight career titles on his resume and reached the Wimbledon final in 2016.
Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., is coming off a breakthrough season that saw him reach the semifinals at the Rogers Cup — knocking off top-seeded Rafael Nadal along the way — and rocket up the rankings.
He will next face world No. 22 Kyle Edmund of Britain, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 10th-ranked David Goffin of Belgium. Edmund defeated former No. 1 Novak Djokovic a day earlier.
Shapovalov picked up a service break on Raonic in the first set and did it again in the second.
“The match felt like everything kind of went great, went my way,” he said.
“I was guessing a lot the right way on the serves. When I got my racket on them, usually they’re falling in. ”
The 19-year-old Canadian has split his four career meetings with Edmund. This will be their first clash on clay.
“Obviously I think this is just an extreme bonus for me to be in the quarters of a Masters, especially on this surface,” Shapovalov said. “I never expected to get this far. But yeah, I think I’m still learning on this surface. I’m learning every day. Regardless of how I do this week, I’m going to keep grinding, keep working away.”
In other matches, top-ranked Simona Halep lost to Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-3 in women’s quarter-final play. Halep, the twotime defending champ, was on a 15-match winning streak at the tournament.
“This was one of my best matches of the year,” the sixth-seeded Pliskova said. “I feel amazing since in the last six matches I lost to her. I never thought I would beat her.”
She will play No. 10 Petra Kvitova in the semifinals. Seventh-seeded Caroline Garcia will play No. 20 Kiki Bertens in the other semi.