Canadian Denis Shapovalov topped American Taylor Fritz 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6 6-2 in an epic five-set battle between two of the sport’s brightest young stars. Shapovalov, seeded 12th, is the world #17 at the age of 21, and is the top-ranked Canadian ahead of 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and fellow young gun Felix Auger-Aliassime. Fritz, meanwhile, was seeded 19th in New York, and at world #25 is the second-ranked American behind John Isner.
Strong start for Fritz
Fritz looked up against it coming into the match, with Shapovalov leading the head-to-head 2-0, with both wins having come in straight sets and in similar conditions to those at the US Open. But it was Fritz who made the sharper start. His serving in the first set was exceptional, with Fritz winning every point in which he made his first serve and losing just five points behind his second. Unsurprisingly, Shapovalov failed to force a break point or even reach deuce as a result.
Initially, Shapovalov looked to be matching Fritz with some strong serving of his own, but down 3-4 his concentration faltered. He hit two unforced errors and a double fault to go down 15-40. Fritz did not miss out on that opportunity, breaking to go up 5-3. And with his serve firing on all cylinders, it was no surprise to see Fritz serve out the set, having posted very solid numbers, with 15 winners to Shapovalov’s six and fewer unforced errors than the Canadian.
Shapovalov rallies
Shapovalov needed to up his game in the second set to match Fritz’s level and he did just that. There were precious few inroads made against the serve, with Shapovalov and Fritz firing down a combined seven aces, without either man hitting a double fault. But this time, it proved to be Fritz who lost focus. Shapovalov took advantage of two Fritz errors in the seventh game to earn his first break points. Another Fritz error saw him drop serve to love.
But although three of the four points in the game ended with Fritz errors, credit should be given to Shapovalov for the pressure he put on Fritz with some solid defence, which frustrated the American into making an error. Fritz did try to rally, forcing three break-back points as Shapovalov served for the set. But the Canadian was not to be denied, digging deep after some poor errors to pull out the hold and restore the match to parity.
Fritz steals a march
After the match had been dominated, for the most part, by the server in the first two sets, the third brought a sharp departure from that pattern. Both men were perhaps beginning to feel mentally and physically fatigued and struggles behind their serves ensued. But the quality remained high. Shapovalov broke in Fritz’s first service game and jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the set, only for Fritz to fight back, winning four games on the bounce to take a 5-3 lead.
Shapovalov, unwilling to go down without a fight, broke straight back himself and had the chance to get back on terms. But he fell short when serving to stay in the set in the tenth game. Fritz battled his way to deuce, before earning his first set point and he took it with a brilliant backhand passing shot. Fritz’s backhand was a valuable shot for him throughout the match, consistently troubling the Canadian, particularly when he took it down the line.
Shapovalov not done yet
Fritz appeared to have struck the decisive blow when he broke Shapovalov either side of two comfortable holds to take a 3-0 lead in the fourth. With Shapovalov on the ropes, Fritz looked to press his advantage, getting to deuce in the Canadian’s second service game of the set. But Shapovalov, with no room left to manoeuvre, stepped in and crashed a forehand winner before firing down an ace to get on the board in the fourth.
But he was still struggling to make inroads against Fritz’s serve. Until the American served for the match up 5-3 that is. Nerves appeared to overwhelm the American and Shapovalov seized his chance, breaking back to stay alive. Fritz managed to shake off that disappointment and force a tiebreak. But after the first 11 points had gone with serve, at 6-5 Shapovalov guessed right when Fritz went cross-court and drove a forehand winner, his 20th of the set, into the open space to level the match.
Fritz’s challenge fades
Shapovalov was firmly in the ascendancy heading into the decider, with Fritz beginning to tire visibly. Shapovalov capitalised, wearing his opponent down in some lengthy baseline exchanges and firing some powerful winners. Fritz also proved unable to get close to the Canadian’s serve, winning just two points against it in four service games. That saw Shapovalov cruise home to complete a 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6 6-2 win, having hit 60 winners to Fritz’s 52 and nine fewer unforced errors.
But things will not get easier for the 12th seed heading into the second week. David Goffin, ranked 10th in the world, leads their head-to-head 1-0 having won 7-6 7-6 in the second round in Tokyo last October. But Goffin has never been past the fourth round in New York and can be overpowered by big hitters. If Shapovalov can rein in his unforced errors and maintain his focus throughout the match, he may well feel he has a real chance of reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
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