WHAT HAPPENED: Denis Shapovalov is into the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career courtesy of a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 upset of No. 7 seed David Goffin on Sunday night at the US Open.
Shapovalov's draw sure opened up earlier in the day, when top seed and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, unbeaten in 2020, was defaulted from the proceedings after swatting a ball at a line umpire. Instead of facing the 17-time major titlist in the next round, he will instead take on 2017 US Open semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain.
The 12th seed is part of a talented triumvirate of Canadians that has infiltrated the second week of the tournament in historic fashion, along with No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime and the resurgent Vasek Pospisil. Prior to this week, no three Canadian men had ever reached the third round of a Grand Slam.
Goffin, meanwhile, was aiming to become only the 10th active player on the ATP Tour to reach the quarterfinals or better at all for majors.
"It’s a really proud moment. It’s pretty crazy how far I’ve come," said Shapovalov, 21, the first Canadian man through to the quarterfinals here in the Open era. "Today was an extremely tough match. I knew it was going to be tough against David. I had to play every single point against him and match his stability, his calmness. I’m definitely tired, but I’m super happy."
These two had met only once before, the Belgian Goffin claiming a 7-6, 7-6 decision in Tokyo last year, a match in which there were no breaks of serve. That trend continued in the first set, which would come down to a tiebreak. Once there, Goffin, 29, raced through all but unopposed, 7-0. Shapovalov went 0-for-4 on his break-point chances in the opener.
It didn’t take Shapovalov long to get over the shutout. The youngest member of the year-end Top 20 in 2019, he would strike first in the second set, when Goffin double faulted serving at 1-2, 15-40.
Shapovalov, at home on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center since 2017, when he became the youngest player to reach the fourth round since Michael Chang in 1989, opened the third set with a break and was soon in control of the match. He struck again with breaks in the third, fifth and ninth games of the final set, repeatedly pressuring Goffin, who would finish with five double faults in the three-hour, 29-minute match.
It marked Goffin’s fourth straight appearance in the Round of 16 in New York. But the US Open remains the lone Grand Slam in which he has yet to reach the quarterfinals.
The lefthander Shapovalov is working overtime in New York. He’s also still alive in the men’s doubles draw with partner Rohan Bopanna. He totaled 51 winners on the night, including 13 aces.
WHAT IT MEANS: Shapovalov is just 1-3 against his quarterfinal opponent Carreno Busta, including a Round-of-16 loss to the Spaniard at the US Open in 2017. (See the 2020 US Open Men's Singles Draw)
MATCH POINT: Shapovalov achieved a career-high No. 13 in January after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev at the ATP Cup.
WATCH: Shapovalov-Goffin Round-of-16 Highlights
