#NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov delivered the performance of his career on Thursday evening, stunning World No. 2 Rafael Nadal 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) in front of an electric Court Central crowd at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal.

Shapovalov becomes the youngest quarter-finalist at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. He’s also the second-youngest player to beat Nadal (Coric, 2014 Basel).

“It’s so tough. A lot of the times he just hits a shot that’s way too good. I was managing to get a lot back when I could. But, you know, he’s honestly the best player I’ve ever played in my life,” Shapovalov said.

“You could tell why he’s won so many Grand Slams. His ball was just so heavy. He’s such a warrior out there. So it’s honestly, like a dream come true for me to beat a player like that.”

Watch Thursday highlights featuring Federer v Ferrer and Nadal v Shapovalov

For the Spaniard, a return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings will have to wait. Nadal would have returned to No. 1 for the first time since June 2014 if he had reached the semi-finals in Montreal.

Andy Murray will remain at No. 1 for another week but at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati next week, Nadal and Roger Federer will battle for the top spot.

Shapovalov, No. 143 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is projected to reach a new career high and crack the Top 100 at No. 100. On Friday, he will look to continue his dream run at his home Masters 1000 tournament when he faces Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who dismissed #NextGenATP Korean Hyeon Chung 6-3, 6-3 to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in his 31^st attempt.

But this much is clear so far: Shapovalov brings an entirely different level of tennis to Court Central. The 18 year old has now knocked off three top ATP World Tour players on that court during the past two years: Nick Kyrgios last year, Juan Martin del Potro earlier this week and Nadal became his latest upset victim in their marathon two-hour and 46-minute battle.

“It’s a very fast pace right now. It’s a lot to take in, obviously. But to be honest, I’m very thankful that I’m in this position,” Shapovalov said. “If I didn’t save those four match points in the first round [against Dutra Silva], there wouldn’t even be a chance to play Juan Martin or Rafa. I’m very thankful for that.”

The teenager was under no illusions as to the calibre of opponent across the net from him. 

With “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky and his wife in attendance, Shapovalov was ready from the start for another high-octane match in the Canadian metropolis. He fought to 3-3 with Nadal in the opening set, but the Spaniard sprinted through the remainder of the opener and looked as if he would need only two sets.

Shapovalov, though, came out strong in the second set, and had two chances to go up 5-1. But Nadal fought back and pushed the second set to 4-4 before Shapovalov recovered to even the third-round match.

On his first set point, the Canadian mishit a return that Nadal lifted long, and Shapovalov raised his arms to roars from his thousands of fans.

The Canadian had success exchanging forehands with Nadal and was fearless with his shot selection, taking every cheer as encouragement. For the match, the Canadian finished with 49 winners to 41 unforced errors. He delivered nine aces to only two from Nadal.

Shapovalov also dealt an effective 1-2 punch while returning, pushing Nadal to one corner before striking a one-handed backhand or forehand up the line.

But Nadal, a 30-time Masters 1000 titlist, dug in for the decider, as did Shapovalov. Serving at 1-1, the 18 year old erased three break points and held during a 14-minute and 30-second game, showing the Spaniard he was not going away in the final set. For the match, Shapovalov erased nine of 11 break points.

In the tie-break, it again looked as if Nadal would finally pull away. He jumped out to a 3/0 lead. But this time it was Shapovalov’s turn to fight back, and he won seven of the tie-break’s final eight points to earn the biggest win of his life. Fittingly, he blasted a forehand winner on his first match point.

After the ball sped past Nadal, Shapovalov tossed his racquet and fell to the court, covering his eyes in disbelief. The crowd’s cheers soaked their new home favourite and, after he shook hands with Nadal, Shapovalov finished his celebration by saying thanks. He kissed the court and blew kisses to the crowd.

“I don’t know if a lot of players fold or if he just outplays them at the end,” Shapovalov said. “I was down 3-0 in the tie-break. I did a good job to regroup. I knew I had to win both the points off my serve. Yeah, then he gave me a double [fault] to tie it up.

“I just tried to stay calm, tried to play every point, go for my shots. At the end of the day I really tried to keep playing my game and stick to my tactics.” 

DID YOU KNOW?

With his win over No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal, Denis Shapovalov…

• At 18 years, 3 months, is the youngest quarter-finalist in ATP Masters 1000 history (since 1990)

• Is the youngest quarter-finalist in Coupe Rogers tournament history since Bjorn Borg (18 years, 2 months) in 1974

• Came in this week ranked No. 143 and he could break the Top 100 in the Emirates ATP Rankings next week (depending on other results)…At the moment he is projected to be No. 100. If he beats Adrian Mannarino to reach the SFs, he is projected to jump to around No. 66.

• Is the lowest-ranked player to beat a Top 2 opponent since No. 144 Kyrgios beat No. 1 Nadal in 2014 Wimbledon fourth round.

• Is the lowest-ranked player Nadal has lost to since No. 144 Kyrgios (Nadal ranked No. 1 at the time) in 2014 Wimbledon fourth round.

• Is the youngest player to beat a Top 2 opponent since Filip Krajinovic, 18, beat No. 2 Djokovic (by retirement) in 2010 Belgrade QF. The previous instance in a COMPLETED MATCH was Nadal, 17, beating No. 1 Federer in 2004 ATP Masters 1000 Miami 3R

• Is the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finalist since No. 239 Ivo Karlovic at 2011 Indian wells and lowest-ranked Canada quarter-finalist since No. 144 Harel Levy in 2000

The crowd support playing in a French-speaking part of the world is doing the French doubles players no harm at this week’s Coupe Rogers with three duos advancing to the Coupe Rogers quarter-finals in Montreal. The all-French pairing of Fabrice Martin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin pulled off the biggest upset of the day when they defeated No. 2 seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 6-2.

Not to be outdone, Gael Monfils and Benoit Paire pulled off an upset of their own when they took down the No. 3 seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. The Frenchman prevailed 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 10-5 in one hour and 51 minutes.

There was guaranteed to be at least one all-French pairing into the quarter-finals as fifth seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut took to the court against Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Herbert and Mahut booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 10-3 result over their compatriots.

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The step up for a former top junior prospect is fraught with hurdles even at the best of times. Form, fitness and finding yourself – let alone the right coaching mix – is all part of the juggling act as a teenager about to take on the world. 

For former junior World No. 3, Duckhee Lee, this is only compounded having been born deaf. The NextGenATP South Korean can hear vibrations, but must rely on hand gestures from the umpire and line judges. 

Coached by Woo Chunghyo, Lee rose as high as No. 130 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in April. It has been a tough few months since, however, with the 19 year old falling to his current mark of World No. 171. 

“Last year I start to play in Challengers, I feel it was too tough for me,” Lee said this week from the Jinan Challenger event in China, where he fell in the quarter-finals to former World No. 50 Ricardas Berankis.

“This year is getting better, but still got lots to improve. I still got nervous before a big match . So my results aren’t too sharp this year because it’s also my first full Challenger year.” 

The teenager said he felt he was beginning to turn his season around. But the jump up, even from Futures to the ATP Challenger Tour, was a steep learning curve. 

“I feel in Futures, even if I lose first round it doesn’t matter. I believe I can get good results next one,” Lee said. “But in Challengers, I will meet lots of players ranked higher than me. So it’s not easy to keep my performance at a steady level. That’s something I need to work on.”

Last month, he reached the quarter-finals of the Presidents Cup Challenger event in Astana, Kazakhstan before falling to Bosnian Aldin Setkic. His two match wins there snapped a six-match losing streak.

Last week, he fell in the opening round in Chengdu to Zhe Li, a Chinese player ranked No. 288. The answer to his early exit in China, however, may be simpler than you’d think.

“I play lots of Challengers in China,” Lee said. “I was not comfortable with Chinese food, but now I am getting better, especially the soup noodles.” 

Lee is the first to admit it is all part of growing as he builds towards his goal of cracking the Top 100. His main goal for now is to land a breakthrough Challenger title.

“If I can get a title I will try to play more qualifying in ATP tournament,” he said. “I am working a lot with my serve and forehand, especially the serve. That’s the key for men’s game.”

Nick Kyrgios might have gotten the better of Alexander Zverev back in March, twice beating the #NextGenATP German at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. But on Thursday evening at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal, Zverev put himself on the board in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry.

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The right-hander continued his red-hot run during the North American swing, winning his seventh consecutive match on the blue hard courts, dating back to his Citi Open title last week in Washington, D.C. Zverev beat Kyrgios 6-4, 6-3 in 73 minutes to move into the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 event in Canada.

“I’m happy to be through. Obviously against him, it’s not easy because he’s one of the biggest servers that we have. He plays with not a lot of rhythm,” Zverev said. 

Zverev has now reached the quarter-finals or better at four Masters 1000 tournaments this season, including the Miami Open presented by Itau, the Mutua Madrid Open and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, where he won his maiden Masters 1000 title. He’ll try to get a step closer to his second Masters 1000 crown on Friday when he faces South African Kevin Anderson, who beat Sam Querrey of the U.S. 6-4, 6-1 in 59 minutes.

Anderson avenged his Round of 16 Wimbledon loss to Querrey from earlier this year. Against Zverev, he’ll again try to avenge a loss from this season. The 6’6” German beat Anderson in the Citi Open final on Sunday.

“The momentum is definitely with me. But I’m playing Anderson tomorrow… He’s played a lot of matches. He’s playing very, very well. It’s going to be another interesting one,” Zverev said. 

Kyrgios was in prime form when he beat Zverev in March, reaching the quarter-finals at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the semi-finals in Miami. But the Aussie has struggled with shoulder and hip injuries of late. Zverev, meanwhile, has only ascended the Emirates ATP Rankings since their earlier FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings. He arrived in Montreal at a career-high No. 8, and was focused throughout their third-round match in Canada.

Zverev broke in the third game to lead 2-1 and fended off six break points in the opener, including four while serving at 3-2, to take a one-set lead. Kyrgios held to start the second set, but Zverev broke in the fifth game and never lost his serve. For the match, Zverev erased all eight break points.

Tennis fans have debated this for years: Who’s the greatest player of all-time, and where does Roger Federer fit on that short list?

But to “The Great One”, Wayne Gretzky, there’s no discussion. In an interview with the Canadian sports channel Sportsnet at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal, Gretzky said he considers Federer not only the greatest tennis player ever but also among the top four athletes of all-time.

“He deserves to be up there with guys like Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Pele. He’s a special man. He’s got charisma, he’s got style, he’s got class. He’s a winner. He loves his sport. He’s got a passion for the game. He’s a little bit like how Gordie Howe was. He’s just a special man,” Gretzky said, referring to the beloved Canadian hockey great.

The four-time Stanley Cup champion and his family have been watching ATP World Tour Masters 1000 action all week at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal. Gretzky’s 14-year-old daughter, Emma, who plays tennis, has also practised with some ATP World Tour stars, including Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.

“The organisers of the tournament have been so wonderful to my family and I. We’ve had an opportunity watch a lot of tennis and watch the players practise, too,” said Gretzky, who grew up in Brantford, Ontario.

But, as complimentary of Federer as Gretzky is, he’s confident that, years from now, someone else will come along and marvel tennis fans, and maybe even more so than Federer has during his 20-year career. Everyone will miss Federer, of course, but, just as great players have come along since Gretzky retired from hockey, other tennis players will emerge and impress on the ATP World Tour.

“Years from now, the tennis world and the sports world is going to look back and go, ‘Wow, was that guy ever a great athlete?’ But let me tell you the great thing about sports. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, somebody else comes along, and you go, ‘Wow, we never thought we’d see a guy that good again’”, Gretzky said.

“You go back to the McEnroe days, obviously Pete Sampras, and Bjorn Borg, and people thought, ‘Well, are we ever going to get a guy as good as that guy?’ And all of a sudden this guy [Federer] comes along and might be as good as all of those guys combined. So that’s the great thing about sports. Every sport seems to get better and every sport seems to have that guy who comes along.”

Watch The Full Interview

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for Thursday of the Coupe Rogers & vote for who you think will win!
Federer vs. Ferrer | Nadal vs. Shapovalov | Zverev vs. Kyrgios

View Thursday Schedule

• There is a little of everything in the Coupe Rogers third round on Thursday: four #NextGenATP players, four men who’ve saved match points this week, and only six of the tournament’s 16 seeds. All of the above is Alexander Zverev, who meets Nick Kyrgios on Court Central in a showdown of the Emirates ATP Race to Milan leader and the top #NextGenATP player from the 2016 season.

• Zverev and Kyrgios, who played doubles together at 2016 Roland Garros, go back to the ITF Juniors Circuit. An 18-year-old Kyrgios beat a 16-year-old Zverev 6-3, 6-1 in the 2013 Aegon Junior International final. They’ve met twice on the ATP World Tour, with the elder Australian sweeping the younger German at ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells on March 14 and Miami on March 30.

• Kyrgios’ FedEx ATP Head2Head advantage over Zverev pales in comparison to Roger Federer’s dominance of David Ferrer. Federer is 16-0 against Ferrer and seeks an unprecedented 17th win over the Spaniard on Thursday. Ferrer is tied with Mikhail Youzhny for the most losses without a victory against Federer. They have not met since the 2014 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati final.

• Federer needs to reach the semi-finals in Montreal for a chance at reclaiming the No. 1 ranking on Aug. 21. Rafael Nadal will return to No. 1 on Aug. 14 if he defeats Denis Shapovalov on Thursday and Hyeon Chung or Adrian Mannarino on Friday. Shapovalov, an 18-year-old Canadian wild card, is the youngest player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 Round of 16 since Nadal at 2004 Miami.

Five-time champions Bob and Mike Bryan are through to the quarter-finals but it’s Juan Martin del Potro who walks away with bragging rights for Hot Shot of the day in the men’s doubles at the Coupe Rogers. The Bryan brothers were on their way to a 6-3, 7-5 victory over the Argentine and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov when del Potro brought the Montreal crowd to its feet.

Trailing a set and with Mike Bryan serving to level at 2-2 in the second set, del Potro scrambled back to swat a flick lob on the run. When it narrowly sailed out of Mike’s reach to land in, Dimitrov raised his arms in jubilation as the Court 5 crowd duly responded.

On the run. His back to court.@delpotrojuan pulls off an INCREDIBLE shot…?#CoupeRogers pic.twitter.com/8Tcz7iyxGN

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 9, 2017

The Bryans had the last laugh, however, as their joined top seeds and last week’s Citi Open champions Henri Kontinen and John Peers in the quarter-finals. Kontinen and Peers downed Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 6-4, 7-5. Seventh seeds Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig also progressed. The Indian-Croatian pairing defeated Karen Khachanov and Dominic Thiem 7-6(3), 6-4.

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Montreal is proving a happy hunting ground for match point-saving warriors with fourth seed Alexander Zverev the lastest to battle back from the brink. The #NextGenATP star saved three match points – including one 49-shot rally – to hold off Richard Gasquet at the Coupe Rogers on Wednesday.

His 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3) triumph over the Frenchman sets a blockbuster showdown with the player most tipped to rival him as a future World No.1, Nick Kyrgios. The 16th-seeded Australian earlier powered past Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-2 ,6-3.

Gasquet arrived in Montreal having missed the first five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events due to appendicitis surgery and lower back issues. But against Zverev, he produced the type of form that had taken him to two prior Coupe Rogers finals in Toronto (2006 l. to Federer, 2012 l. to Djokovic). Coming into Montreal, Zverev had served out a match a tour-leading 95 per cent (21 of 22) of times in 2017 (Learn More) and looked well on his way to doing so again when he raced to triple match point at 5-4 in the deciding set.

Gasquet, buoyed by strong support from the Quebecois crowd, rolled a winning backhand pass to save the third match point and a forehand winner down the line to bring up break point. He broke when the German sailed a backhand wide and drew huge roars from the Montreal crowd.

It was now the German’s turn to produce a little magic as he saved the second of three match points at 5-6 on an almighty 49-shot rally. It proved pivotal. Zverev closed it out in the tie-break on his fourth match point at the two-hour, 30-minute mark.

A day after agreeing to hit with a Twitter fan at a practice session, Kyrgios was again in a relaxed frame of mind. He had few difficulties beating Lorenzi for the first time.

The Australian thumped down 10 aces and saved his lone break point faced in little more than an hour. He will carry an unbeaten 2-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record into his clash with Zverev. 

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