Shapovalov beats Goffin to quarterfinals
Denis Shapovalov regrouped after losing a terrible first set tiebreak to beat David Goffin 67(0) 6-3 6-4 6-3 on Sunday and become the first Canadian man to reach the US Open quarterfinals in the Open era.
Shapovalov will next face Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarterfinals after the 20th seed was awarded his fourth round match against Novak Djokovic by default when the world No 1 hit a line judge with a ball.
It will be Shapovalov’s first Grand Slam quarterfinal and could lead the way for a Canadian charge into the last eight with compatriots Vasek Pospisil and Felix Auger-Aliassime playing their fourth round clashes on Monday.
“It’s pretty crazy how far I’ve come,” Shapovalov, who got “goosebumps” when told of his achievement, said.
“Today was an extremely tough match.
“I had to play every single point against him and match his stability, his calmness.”
Goffin made a strong start to the match then ran away with the first set tiebreak 7-0 and Shapovalov said he used the time between sets to regroup.
The Canadian rallied in the second set behind a powerful serve and strong forehand, and the momentum swung in his favour when he broke for the first time in the fourth game.
The 12th seed took what opportunities came his way in the third set and fought off Goffin’s only break opportunity in the eighth game with his 11th ace.
He raced to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set but surprisingly failed to serve out while leading 5-2 as Goffin got his first break of the match.
However, Shapovalov settled down and sealed the win on his third match point to set up the clash with Carreno Busta, who beat him in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows in 2017.
“He’s beaten me every time on hard courts so it’ll be ... another long battle,” Shapovalov said.
Alexander Zverev slammed down 18 aces en route to demolishing Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2 6-2 6-1 in the fourth round.
After an early break for the 21 lead, the 23-year-old German never let his Spanish opponent get a foothold in the match.
He produced 39 winners and dropped just one service game during a ruthless performance.
Davidovich Fokina grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second set but the advantage was short-lived as Zverev broke back before racing away with the set. He sealed it with an ace. The Spaniard barely had a chance to make an impression on the world No 7’s serve, the fastest clocking at 223.6km/h, just shy of his personal record of 228.5km/h.
Davidovich Fokina, who took a medical time out to treat a foot problem, tried to rattle Zverev by attempting some drop shots but the fleet-footed fifth seed was unrattled. —