BRITAIN reached the Davis Cup quarter-finals in the most amazing way possible – when Canadian Denis Shapovalov was DISQUALIFIED for smashing the ball into the umpire’s eye.
Frustrated teenager Shapovalov, 17, blasted the ball towards the crowd and looked as horrified as anyone to see it hit French official Arnaud Gabas – badly bruising his eye.
The tie in Ottawa was balanced at 2-2 but in-form Brit Kyle Edmund led Shapovalov 6-3 6-4 2-1 in the deciding rubber when the home player was defaulted.
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A nervous Shapovalov rushed to apologise to Gabas immediately after the match had finished.
The unfortunate umpire was later taken to hospital for a check up, with an International Tennis Federation spokesperson saying he had “swelling and bruising to his left eye”.
Shapovalov – tipped as a future Grand Slam winner and described as a “great kid” by his Captain, Martin Laurendeau – also put the record straight with a public apology.
Holding back the tears, he sobbed: “I feel incredibly embarrassed and ashamed and feel awful for letting my team and my country down.
“I want to apologise to the umpire and referee, it was unacceptable from me. That is the last time I’m going to do anything like that, I’m going to learn from it.”
Referee Brian Earley came onto the court to discuss with the stricken umpire and both team Captains, and had no option but to disqualify the youngster.
His decision was met by some booing from the crowd of 6,000 in Ottawa but video replays showed the ref was left with no other choice.
Gabas’ sister, Charlotte, posted an update of her brother’s condition on Twitter.
She wrote: “Arnaud has a black eye. He’s fine. The cornea is not affected. He is on the way to hospital.”
Edmund, who had dominated the match, said: “It was strange way to finish, I’ve never been part of anything like that.
“It took me too long to get going in the first match and it meant a lot to me to come back. We put so much effort into the tie.”
And GB coach Leon Smith, who achieved victory without world No 1 Andy Murray, said: “It was a bit of surprise what happened at the end.
“It’s a shame and I feel for the young lad because he’s a great talent and he’s learned a harsh lesson today.
“Kyle was absolutely fantastic and I thought it was a great performance.”
Canada skipper Martin Laurendeau said of Shapovalov: “There’s always a lesson to be learned from the good moments and the worst moments.
“If he wants to compete at this level he has to keep it together.
“Emotional control is the biggest factor in this game. He must learn the lesson and hope it serves him in the rest of his career.”
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