Shapovalov continues character rebranding

THE last time Kyle Edmund played denis Shapovalov, the young Canadian ended up nearly blinding the umpire in a fit of rage. The two of them meet again today at the aegon Championships, and surely it will not again end in a spectacular default like their davis Cup rubber in February. Shapovalov, reckoned to be one of the game’s finest prospects, smashed a ball away in anger and, unintentionally, it went straight into the head of French official arnaud Gabas, only fractionally missing his eye socket. The 18-year-old came through the final round of qualifying yesterday when he beat Britain’s Liam Broady 6-4, 6-4 — watched by Michael downey, the outgoing chief of the Lawn Tennis association. downey, who is soon to return to his old job running Canadian tennis after his truncated LTa tenure, raised eyebrows during Saturday’s opening round. Onlookers said he vociferously supported Shapovalov in his match against american reilly Opelka while Broady was playing (and winning) on the neighbouring court. He was said to have maintained a more scrupulously neutral demeanour yesterday, and will be expected to subdue his increasingly split loyalties again today. LuxEMBOurG’S Gilles Muller out-aced the recordbreaking Ivo Karlovic in a battle of the big-serving veterans to lift the grasscourt title in den Bosch yesterday. Karlovic became the first man to ever pass 12,000 aces during the game, but Muller came out on top 7-6, 7-6 in the Wimbledon warm-up tournament.