Unseeded Canadian teen wins in G’town

Shapovalov takes USTA Futures event

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Teenager Denis Shapovalov’s remarkable run at the United States Tennis Association Pro Circuit event at Germantown Country Club came to an impressive conclusion Sunday.

Shapovalov, a 16-yearold lefthander from Canada, defeated No. 2 seed Tennys Sandgren, 7-6(4), 7-6(4), in the finals of the $25,000 Spell Restaurant Group Men’s Futures tournament. Battling in windy conditions on the outdoor hardcourts, Shapovalov, born in Tel Aviv to Russian parents, captured his second Futures title of the year. He won a clay court event in Weston, Florida, in January.

Shapovalov, who turns 17 later this week, is considered the No. 3 Canadian behind Milos Raonic, the world’s 12th-ranked player, and Vasek Pospisil, ranked 43rd.

Shapovalov, ranked 551 entering the event, qualified for the Memphis Futures tournament by winning two matches and followed with five straight wins in the main draw. He defeated two other seeds — No. 3 Eric Quigley and No. 5 Nick Scholtz — en route to the finals and dropped only one set in seven matches. Quigley and Scholtz, like Sandgren, are former Southeastern Conference standout players.

Sandgren, a former top200 player in the world, had reached the championship singles of the Futures — a developmental pro tour — by dropping only one set, to former World No. 120 player Alex Kuznetsov in the quarterfinals. He was seeking his 10th minor professional title.