Denis Shapovalov

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Czyli ścieżka europejska.

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

Denis Shapovalov - Stockholm [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

Shapovalov reached his eighth tour-level semi-final at the Stockholm Open. The Canadian had been winless in his first seven semi-finals.

But Shapovalov would not be denied in Sweden, ousting Yuichi Sugita in the last four and then Filip Krajinovic in the final to lift his maiden ATP Tour trophy. The lefty saved the only break point he faced to beat the Serbian 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match.

“I am definitely super happy and just really proud,” said Shapovalov. “Me and my team have worked really hard to get into this position of lifting a title, so I am really proud of myself and proud of my team right now.”

Shapovalov rode the momentum to his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he fell short against Novak Djokovic. Nevertheless, the Canadian climbed to a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 15 to finish the season.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/first-t ... art-2-2019

[Del Fed]

[Kamileki]

Felix, Shapo March Team Canada Into Inaugural ATP Cup

Spoiler:

Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov will look to get off to good starts in Brisbane

The 2019 season for Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime might have been a preview for what tennis fans can expect for the next 10-15 years from the #NextGenATP stars. Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime, who will represent Canada along with Steven Diez, Adil Shamasdin and Peter Polansky at next month's ATP Cup, spent the year outdoing each other.

Both players endured their highs and lows, but both also played for ATP Tour titles and finished the season inside the Top 25 of the ATP Rankings (Shapovalov, No. 15; Auger-Aliassime, No. 21).

“These two guys really have almost fulfilled every expectation, at this stage to both be where they are,” said Tom Tebbutt, a longtime Canadian tennis writer.

Four years ago, when Auger-Aliassime was 15 and Shapovalov 16, Tebbutt saw the two play for the Canadian 18-and-under boys championship. Since then, and especially in 2019, the two have been on a tear.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/feli ... iew'>Felix Auger-Aliassime</a> thanks the crowd for its support during his semi-final in Rio de Janeiro.

In February, Auger-Aliassime, younger then Shapovalov by 16 months, became the youngest ATP 500 finalist in series history (since 2009) by making the Rio Open presented by Claro final (l. to Djere). The next month, Auger-Aliassime, then 18, also became the youngest Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finalist (l. to Isner) in the tournament's 35-year history.

At that same tournament in south Florida, Shapovalov also reached the semi-finals (l. to Federer), his third at the Masters 1000 level.

But from there, Auger-Aliassime continued climbing while Shapovalov endured a slump. Auger-Aliassime made the final in Lyon (clay, l. to Paire) and Stuttgart (grass, l. to Berrettini) and reached the third round at Wimbledon (l. to Humbert), the first time he had won a match at a major championship.

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“For any player to get his first Grand Slam win is a big relief, and it's a good achievement for me. At the same time, with the level I'm playing now and my ambitions, I look forward and I look to go even further than that,” Auger-Aliassime said.

Shapovalov, meanwhile, went 2-9 after Miami, which included a straight-sets loss to Auger-Aliassime in Madrid. The left-hander began to turn his season around at his home Masters 1000 event in Montreal, where Shapovalov beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France and pushed Dominic Thiem to three sets.

“It put a smile to my face when I walked back on the court,” Shapovalov said. “Every point, [the crowd is] so engaged. Like I've always said, I feel that brings the best out of me. I'm able to play more freely and just enjoy myself. I had that fire back today that I've been missing, especially the last couple weeks. Maybe it's been longer than that. It's good to get back on the right track.”

Two weeks later, he made the semi-finals in Winston-Salem, and the next week, he and Auger-Aliassime met in the first round of the US Open for the second consecutive year. Shapovalov, who won their first New York contest, beat Auger-Aliassime in straight sets.

“Denis played really, really well against him at the US Open,” Tebbutt said.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/deni ... iew'>Denis Shapovalov</a> competes at the 2019 <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... erview'>US Open</a>

From there, Shapovalov kept rising, making the semi-finals in Chengdu and winning his maiden title in Stockholm. The Canadian saved his best for the final week of the ATP regular season, reaching his first Masters 1000 final at the Rolex Paris Masters (l. to Djokovic).

Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, went 2-3 during the Asian swing and a sprained ankle limited his play in the final month.

At the moment, Shapovalov has surged ahead. But, as Tebbutt has seen over the years, good luck predicting who will finish higher after the 2020 season, which starts at the inaugural ATP Cup. Canada will compete in Group F in Brisbane against Germany, Greece and Australia.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/felix-d ... up-feature

[Damian]

[Lucas]

Denis Shapovalov, No. 15 in the ATP Rankings

Shapovalov will bring loads of momentum into the 2020 season. The left-hander won his maiden ATP Tour title at the Intrum Stockholm Open (d. Krajinovic) in October and reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Rolex Paris Masters (l. to Djokovic) in November.

The Canadian ended the year at a career-high ATP Ranking (No. 15) and will look to crack the Top 10 in 2020.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/preview ... watch-2020

[Damian]

Shapo, Felix Lead Canada To First ATP Cup Win

Spoiler:

Canadians get off to fast start in Brisbane
Canada is the first team to win a tie at the inaugural ATP Cup. The Canadians, behind singles and doubles wins from Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, earned a clean 3-0 sweep against Greece to get off to a 1-0 start in Brisbane.

“It's always amazing to be part of the team and have kind of a team feeling. It's pretty rare on the Tour, so I definitely love it and I always feel like I thrive off that atmosphere. So, yeah, I'm really happy, happy with the result today,” Shapovalov said.

Shapovalov, the country's No. 1 singles player, clinched the team victory with a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) win against World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two combined to save all five break points faced, but Shapovalov, who ended 2019 by reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Paris, remained clutch in the tie-breaks at Pat Rafter Arena.

From 3/3 in the second-set tie-break, Shapovalov won four of five points, including his first match point on Tsitsipas' racquet when the Greek double faulted. Tsitsipas is the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion (d. Thiem).

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“It's definitely a huge win for me. Obviously, he had an unbelievable end to the season and he's definitely one of the top players in the world right now. He's got a great game. So to beat a guy like this in the first match of the year, it's really special for me. It means a lot,” Shapovalov said.

“I think today it was just a couple points here and there, just tried to keep playing my game, keep playing every single point and wait for my chances and I just think that I took advantage really well in the tie-breaks.”

Tsitsipas fell to 1-3 against Shapovalov in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

“His serve was better than mine and in a few points in the tie-break, I didn't work out what I had to do, and I didn't have a clear picture of how I have to play,” Tsitsipas said of Shapovalov. “Today, he was just better [at] decision-making and he did things better than me.”

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To start the day, Auger-Aliassime steamrolled past Greece's Michail Pervolarakis 6-1, 6-3 to secure the first win in ATP Cup history.

“Truly feels good to be back on the court,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I didn't know the opponent, also, so that's a factor that is always challenging when you're a player, and so I tried to focus on what I had to do. But I was happy that overall in the match I had a great first set, couldn't ask any better, and I was able to be solid in the second. So overall very happy to be back.”

The 24-team event is being played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from 3-12 January, with the Final Eight beginning on Thursday in Sydney. Auger-Aliassime, a three-time ATP Tour finalist in 2019, didn't face a break point and dominated rallies with Pervolarakis, who was making his ATP Tour main draw debut.

The 23-year-old Greek turned pro last year and went 7-8 on the ATP Challenger Tour. Auger-Aliassime is looking to build on his breakout season that saw him finish the year at No. 21 in the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings.

“Obviously it is my first match on this level, first ATP match. I just wanted to focus on my game and play my best tennis and let the result come. Obviously it didn't, Felix played really well, he didn't give me any chances. It was a learning experience for me,” Pervolarakis said.

In doubles, Auger-Aliassime/Shapovalov teamed up to beat Pervolarakis/Petros Tsitsipas, Stefanos' younger brother, 6-2, 6-3 in 68 minutes.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/canada- ... 020-friday

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

06.01.2020

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 14

[Kamileki]

Shapo Keeps Canada's Sydney Hopes Alive

Spoiler:

Canada moves to 2-1; Germany 1-2 in Group F

Denis Shapovalov went 2-0 for Canada on Tuesday, earning his second Top 10 win of the season in singles and teaming up with countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime in doubles to clinch a 2-1 ATP Cup tie victory against Germany.

Auger-Aliassime/Shapovalov beat reigning Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies 6-3, 7-6(4) to give Canada a 2-1 team record in Brisbane. Canada keeps alive its hopes of making the Final Eight, which starts Thursday in Sydney.

All six ATP Cup group winners, in addition to the two best second-place teams, will compete in Sydney. Australia, 2-0, won Group F on Sunday.

“I'm really happy to get the win and hopefully we can go through. I feel like we're definitely one of the top teams, and I feel like we definitely deserve to go to Sydney. Hopefully, if we do get that chance, we can do some really big damage,” Shapovalov said.

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Shapovalov beat World No. 7 Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-2 to force the deciding doubles. The 20-year-old, who beat No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas earlier in Brisbane, won 91 per cent (30/33) of his first-serve points and dominated Zverev's second serve. The German claimed only 29 per cent (7/24) of those points and hit seven double faults.

“There's a lot of things that I still need to improve, but it's the start of the season,” Zverev said. “I need to find my rhythm.”

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Jan-Lennard Struff continued his impressive start to the 2020 ATP Tour season and put Germany ahead.

The 29-year-old swept #NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-4, needing only 75 minutes to improve to 2-1 on the season. Struff hit six aces and faced only one break point, which he saved, despite landing a little more than half of his first serves. The 6'6” German won 73 per cent of his second-serve points.

“He's very young and I knew I have to go out and play very good tennis to beat him and actually, I did, and I was very happy with the performance and the way I played,” Struff said. “It was very important for us to get the first point.”

After the match, he added his name to the list of players who have pledged support for the Australian bushfire relief efforts. Struff said he will donate $2,000 to the cause.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/germany ... 20-tuesday

[Kamileki]

ATP Cup20 (po fazie grupowej):

12 Fabio Fognini 2310
13 Denis Shapovalov 2200
14 Diego Schwartzman 2080

[arti]

[Damian]

13.01.2020

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 13

[Kamileki]

Air Shapo: #NextGenATP Canadian Shapovalov opened his year with victories over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev at the ATP Cup. He also stretched World No. 2 Novak Djokovic to a third-set tie-break.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/aucklan ... ing-report

[arti]

[Samurray]

'I Don't Want To Risk My Life': World No. 13 To Forfeit Australian Open If Air Quality Is Poor

Spoiler:

World No.13 Denis Shapovalov says he will refuse to play at the Australian Open if forced to compete in poor air.

The Canadian also expects other leading players at the grand slam tournament would do the same if their health is at risk.

"I don't want to risk my life, risk my health being out there playing in this condition when I can (play) for the next 10-15 years."

Shapovalov, who plays in the first round on Monday, said he would have little hesitation defaulting if scheduled to play in the conditions that plagued qualifying on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"I wouldn't play. I'm 20 years old, it's a grand slam, it's a big opportunity but I'm 20 years old," he told reporters at Melbourne Park on Saturday.

Organisers have been criticised by players and the media for ploughing ahead with qualifying this week despite authorities warning residents to stay indoors and restrict physical activity as air quality plunged due to bushfire smoke.

"I think everyone's kind of on the same page in terms of how it is. I don't think anyone's happy with the way things are being dealt with. I'm sure the top guys aren't going to want to come out in this condition either," Shapovalov said.

Australian Open director Craig Tiley released its air quality policy on Saturday and both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - who were accused during the week of being "selfish" by not trying to stop qualifying on Tuesday - endorsed it.

"I don't have concerns," Nadal said, echoing Federer's sentiments that stopping play when the poor air quality reading reached 200 was good enough for him.

"I really cannot believe that the most important committee in the world wants bad health for the competitors so that answer convince me." Nadal said.

https://10daily.com.au/news/sport/a2001 ... r-20200118

[Kamileki]

Shapo: 'I Played Really Nervous Today'

Spoiler:

Canadian beaten in four sets by Fucsovics

After falling to Marton Fucsovics in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday, Denis Shapovalov described the nerves he felt throughout his four-set loss at the opening Grand Slam event of the year.

The 20-year-old arrived in Melbourne at a career-high No. 13 in the ATP Rankings and defeated two Top 10 players at the inaugural ATP Cup, but could not replicate his form during his three-hour, 13-minute defeat at Margaret Court Arena.

“I think I played really nervous today,” said Shapovalov. “Obviously, I was in really good shape and really good condition going into the tournament and just played really tight today.”

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With a 4-2 lead in the fourth set, the #NextGenATP Canadian appeared to be en route to a decider against Fucsovics. But the Hungarian rediscovered his best form and won six of the final seven points of the match to improve to 3-0 in Australian Open first-round encounters.

“I had a lot of chances,” said Shapovalov. “Up a break in the fourth set and again getting tight, having a break point and again just shanking a forehand. I am not trying to take anything away from him. I think he played an excellent match. He played really well in the fourth-set tie-break and he was super solid the whole match, but obviously not all of me was there today.”

This is not the first time that Shapovalov has had to deal with nerves at a Grand Slam tournament, but the Canadian No. 1 is well aware that these feelings are a part of playing on the biggest stage. The Stockholm champion, who experienced a similar issue during his first-round loss to Ricardas Berankis at Wimbledon last year, is keen to continue to learn how to manage these emotions in future events.

“It has happened to me a couple of times, last year at Wimbledon it was the same thing,” said Shapovalov. “It was kind of different for me, the wins weren’t coming at that time and I wanted to do well at Wimbledon. I feel like grass really suits me. It was the same story. It happens. I think it happens to every tennis player and it is just about learning to deal with it.”

Shapovalov’s results over the past five months have catapulted the #NextGenATP talent from No. 38 to No. 13 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and provided the Canadian with great confidence on the court. The disappointment of his early loss in Melbourne may take some time to process, but the 20-year-old will be looking to use this moment as an opportunity to grow as a player with many Grand Slam campaigns ahead of him.

“It is definitely an adjustment [after reaching No. 13]. I feel like my game is there to beat any of the top guys, but of course there are so many great players out there and if I’m a little bit off, a little bit nervous, anyone can beat me as well,” said Shapovalov. “It is just about learning going forward and obviously it is a disappointing one but there is nothing to do now except learn from it."

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[arti]