Denis Shapovalov will be Rafa Nadal ‘s rival in the quarterfinals, after a full match in which he defeated the favorite for many to win the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev . The Canadian tennis player played one of the best matches of his life in terms of tennis and mentally, his great duty in the big events, and won 6-3, 7-6 and 6-3 to enter the top eight of the final frame, where the 2009 champion will be measured for a place in the semis.
Zverev arrived with his morale intact and increasingly determined to storm his first Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park , but he found himself, once again, with head limitations that do not allow him to put his tennis at 100% in tournaments to chosen. A first set in which Shapovalov entered stronger condemned him to lose his nerve, which would continue to play tricks on him throughout the two hours and 24 minutes of play that lasted the round of 16 clash that ends with the third head of series – second if we do not count Djokovic – outside the Australian Open.
The service, a key weapon in Zverev ‘s game, abandoned him to the point of only hitting three aces throughout the match, while the exchange from the back of the court was at the mercy of the quality of Shapovalov ‘s left foot, who played at attack and counterattack according to the news of the match and also prevailed in an epic second set in which he lost 5-3 and ended up winning the tie-break.
A battle between two tennis players under suspicion in terms of mental stability during matches and in which the favorite paid the pressure of being forced to win. Already with everything uphill, Zverev lost his kick-off again in the third and Shapovalov took advantage of the opportunity with a veteran handling in what could be his confirmation in the elite. He has already defeated one of the giants of the moment and a historic one awaits him in the quarterfinals, none other than Rafael Nadal Parera .
