Denis Shapovalov is having a dream start in 2022. He started the year helping Canada win its first ATP Cup title. Now, he is in an incredible run at the first major of the year after eliminating some big names through his journey. Those being the 23rd seed Reilly Opelka in four sets and surprising the third seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets. However, Kwon Soon-woo had him under the ropes in the second round. The 14th seed had to dig deep and pull off a comeback and indeed did so.
Nadal Has Had The Upper Hand
Rafael Nadal awaits the 22-year-old who leads their head-to-head three wins to one loss. That lonely win was back in 2017 at the ATP Masters 1000 Canada in the Round of 16. That was their first meeting and since then Nadal has won three straight matches. Nonetheless, the Canadian is coming in on a hot streak and this a great opportunity to solidify himself as a true contender to win the Australian Open.
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Hot Streak
Undoubtedly, Shapovalov has the potential to produce another major upset, but it will be one heck of a task. He will need all the help he can get from Jamie Delgado, who mentored Andy Murray in the past. It should be noted that this is his third career quarterfinal appearance in a major. In this tournament he has won five of seven tiebreakers and that can increase when he meets Nadal.
Path To Glory
In brief, Shapovalov is playing lights out tennis and is a very dangerous opponent to anyone at this moment. He has proven that he has the mental and physical capacities to overcome any challenge presented to him. Nadal will be his biggest test thus far and Shapovalov will need another incredible performance to advance to the semifinals. Let’s see if Denis can continue writing his incredible path to tennis glory.
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