For the second time in his career, Denis Shapovalov of Toronto, Ontario beat Rafael Nadal of Spain, the 13-time French Open champion. However unlike the 2017 Rogers Cup in Montreal which took place on a Canadian hard court, the win on Thursday came on clay in the third round of the Italian Open in Rome, an event Nadal has won a remarkable 10 times.
On Thursday, Shapovalov lost the first set to Nadal 6-1, before winning the next two sets 7-5, 6-2. This was the first time all year that Nadal lost the match after winning the first set. He had gone 22-0 in that scenario in 2022. Shapovalov will now play Casper Ruud of Norway in the quarterfinals. Ruud beat Shapovalov in the final of the 2021 Geneva Open, 7-6, 6-4.
Shapovalov is one of three Canadians to reach the quarterfinals. In another third round match, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal, Quebec beat Marcos Giron of the United States 6-3, 6-2 and will now play number one seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia. This will be their first ever meeting.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ontario beat Petra Martic of Croatia in the third round 6-4, 6-4. She will next play women’s world number one and 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek of Poland. This will be their first ever meeting.
