LONDON (Reuters) – Canadian Denis Shapovalov put in a near flawless show to defeat eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-1 6-3 7-5 on Monday to book a maiden Wimbledon quarter-final spot.
Shapovalov, seeded 10th, had lost to Ricardas Berankis in the first round in his last appearance at the All England Club in 2019 but has shown remarkable form on grass this season.
After reaching the semi-finals at the Queen’s warm-up event, the 22-year-old has now matched his best performance at a major after reaching the last eight at the U.S. Open in 2020.
In his first meeting with Bautista Agut, the Canadian got a flying start with a 4-0 lead and broke his 33-year-old opponent a third time to race through the first set, carrying on the form he showed to beat Andy Murray in straight sets in his last match.
A single break of serve in the eighth game was enough for a two-set lead for Shapovalov.
Both players lost their serve twice at the beginning of the third set before the left-hander surged ahead with a break in the 11th game and then consolidated his advantage to complete the win on his first match point.
“I played some really high level tennis today,” Shapovalov told reporters. “It’s really, really tough to pick on many things.
“Obviously, I got a little bit nervous in the third set. I think it’s completely normal. I dealt with that really, really well. Other than that, I played really, really flawless. Super happy with myself.”
Next up for the Canadian will be Russian 25th seed Karen Khachanov, who outlasted Wimbledon debutant Sebastian Korda in five sets.
“I’m very happy with my game. Obviously Roberto is a very, very tough player to play against. To beat him in straight sets at a tournament like this, it backs up my level from Andy’s match,” Shapovalov added.
“I’m just happy that I feel like I’m improving every single match. Honestly, it’s been really, really fun out there. I feel like everything’s kind of working for me.
“Obviously it’s not a guarantee that it’s going to continue like this. But I’m super, super happy with the way I’ve been able to play the last two matches.”
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Ken Ferris)
