At 18, Shapovalov stealing spotlight

NEW YORK — Denis Shapovalov, the 18-year-old Canadian, became the youngest man to reach the U.S. Open’s fourth round since Michael Chang in 1989.

Shapovalov advanced Friday when Kyle Edmund stopped playing in the fourth set because of an injured neck.

“It’s never great to win this way,” Shapovalov said. “Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.”

There will be a first-time Grand Slam finalist at the U.S. Open now that 2014 champion Marin Cilic exited in the third round — and the entertaining Shapovalov is one of those who still have a shot at getting that far.

The No. 5-seeded Cilic bowed out with 80 unforced errors in a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 loss to No. 29 Diego Schwartzman just 2 months after his runner-up finish at Wimbledon.

Neither Shapovalov nor Schwartzman had ever been to a major’s fourth round before, nor had another of the afternoon’s winners, 35-year-old Paolo Lorenzi..

As it is, Cilic was the only owner of a major title on the entire bottom half of the draw when the tournament began.

That part of the bracket originally included threetime Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, but he withdrew because of a hip injury.

At the time of Cilic’s departure, the highestseeded man remaining in that half was No. 10 John Isner, the top-ranked American man.

Isner was scheduled to face No. 23 Mischa Zverev on Friday night.

That was to be followed in Arthur Ashe Stadium by five-time major champion Maria Sharapova against 139th-ranked U.S. wildcard entry Sofia Kenin.

Women’s winners Friday included No. 3 Garbine Muguruza and No. 13 Petra Kvitova, a pair of Wimbledon champions who will meet in the fourth round.

Also advancing were Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens, who is coming back from left foot surgery in January and is back in the fourth round in New York for the first time since 2013.