Shapovalov in Open spotlight
The young Canadian played three qualifying matches to get into the main draw.
NEW YORK» So, Denis Shapovalov, do tell: It can’t really be the case that 18-year-olds like yourself never get tired, right?
“No, it’s true. We don’t,” the Canadian joked Friday after becoming the youngest man to reach the U.S. Open’s fourth round since Michael Chang in 1989.
Shapovalov needed to go through three qualifying matches just to get into the main draw at Flushing Meadows, so he has played a half-dozen times in an 11-day span.
“It’s been a long ride,” said Shapovalov, who was born in Israel to Russian parents and moved when he was a baby to Canada. “It feels like I have been here a month already.”
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-on-court, engaging-off-it Shapovalov is one of those who still have a shot at getting that far.
Just 2½ months after his runner-up finish at Wimbledon, 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 of Argentina.
Not much later, Shapovalov advanced when Kyle Edmund of Britain 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.”
Neither he nor Schwartzman had ever been to a major’s fourth round before, nor had another of the afternoon’s winners, 35year-old Paolo Lorenzi of Italy, who actually began his Grand Slam career with an 0-13 record.
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 three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, but he withdrew because of a hip injury, part of a depleted-at-the-outset field also missing Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic.
“It’s kind of a transition time for the ATP,” Shapovalov said, “but I think there is a lot of talent coming up.”
His next opponent is No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta, the highest-seeded man remaining in that half.
No. 17 seed Sam Querrey is the only American man left after beating Radu Albot of Moldova in four sets. He will face No. 23 Mischa Zverev, who eliminated 10th-seeded John Isner 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Friday night. Maria Sharapova then continued her successful return to Grand Slam tennis by beating 139th-ranked U.S. wild-card entry Sofia Kenin 7-5, 6-2.
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 and is back in the fourth round in New York for the first time since 2013.