Denis Shapovalov is at it again. The Canadian tennis star is advancing to the fourth round of the US Open, thanks to his win today against world No. 41 Kyle Edmund. Shapovalov led the entire match but after a few sets, his British opponent was forced to retire due to an untimely injury. Edmund's bit of bad luck worked very much in Shap's favour—the forfeit means the 18-year-old will now play world No. 19 Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday.
It's another impressive victory for the teenaged sensation. Just last month, Shap turned heads by defeating top seed Rafael Nadal at the Rogers Cup. That particular win made Shapovalov the youngest man to reach a Masters semifinal. His latest draw also comes with some prestige: the match against Edmund makes Denis the youngest player to reach round four of the US Open since Michael Chang in 1989. It may be another notch in Denis' belt, but true to form, the hungry young talent wishes it ended without an injury-induced forfeit.
Speaking to ESPN reporters, the Richmond Hill native expressed his disappointment in the way things went down. "It’s never great to win this way. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious," he said following the win. "Kyle’s been playing unbelievable tennis so if he keeps it up he’s going to be doing really well. He’s a very tough opponent. It’s very unfortunate but at the same time it’s great to be on to the next round."
The road to the US Open title has never been more attainable for Canada's young gun. If Denis can keep his streak alive, he may be poised to win it all because two top seeds in his half of the draw have already been eliminated. You can watch Shapovalov take on Pablo Carreno Busta by tuning into TSN on Saturday. In the meantime, you can check out some of the match highlights by visiting the U.S. Open's official website here.
