It’s been quite the summer for Denis Shapovalov. At the start of June, the Canadian was just inside the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings and starting his grass-court campaign at ATP Challenger Tour events in Surbiton and Nottingham. Fast forward three months and the 18 year old has been one of the stars of the North American hard-court swing, capturing the hearts of fans with his blockbuster game and engaging personality. After a rollercoaster ride that saw him win the Gatineau Challenger, reach the semi-finals at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Montreal and become the darling of New York with his run through qualies to make the fourth round, it was to rapturous applause that Shapovalov...
It is one of sport’s greatest ever rivalries, spanning 37 matches and taking in nine Grand Slam finals, but somehow, a Roger Federer – Rafael Nadal battle has never graced Flushing Meadows. Now, in a US Open that has been rife with upsets, Federer is hoping he and Nadal can continue to avoid any such pitfalls before their potential blockbuster semi-final clash. They came within one point of playing each other in the 2011 final, but while Nadal made his way past Andy Murray in the semi-finals, Federer was denied on two match points against Novak Djokovic, who ultimately prevailed in their contest 7-5 in the fifth set. “When you see a lot of seeds going out, you naturally put...
Six weeks. That is all that has separated Denis Shapovalov from being a rising #NextGenATP prospect with a promising future to one of the biggest threats at the 2017 US Open, on the brink of a Top 50 breakthrough. Shapovalov's ascent in the months of July and August is nothing short of astonishing and incomprehensible. At the 14th position in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan on 17 July, the Canadian had an outside chance of qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals. But, on the heels of a second ATP Challenger Tour title on home soil in Gatineau, semi-final finish at the Coupe Rogers and run to the US Open third round as a qualifier, he has catapulted as...
Entering the US Open, Italy's Stefano Travaglia had won 274 matches in his pro career. None at the tour-level and none over Top 50 opposition, with just 12 coming on hard courts. There is a first for everything. Travaglia's fortunes changed in flash at one of the biggest stages in the game, streaking into the main draw last week with a trio of straight-set qualifying wins. Then, the breakthrough arrived. A gritty 6-4, 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-0 victory over 22nd-seed Fabio Fognini on Wednesday afternoon. The Italian stunned his countryman in two hours and 27 minutes behind eight breaks from 18 chances, seizing the opportunity on a packed Court 11. "Today was the best win of my career and the first...
Very few players have been chasing a goal for as long as Adrian Menendez-Maceiras. He never surrendered and, on a sunny Wednesday morning, he received the prize of his life: his first Grand Slam main draw win. He made it at the US Open, defeating American wild card Patrick Kypson 6-4, 7-6(9), 6-1 after two hours and 31 minutes. "It was in the works,” said the 31-year-old Spaniard. “Every player dreams of something like this." If at first you don't succeed, try again. Even if it takes 10 times. At No. 148 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Menendez-Maceiras came to Flushing Meadows for the 10th time in his career. He had never advanced through the qualifying draw. But this time everything...