Italian Open 2018: Shapovalov storms back, defeats Berdych in three-set thriller

Evan Sporer

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Italian Open 2018: Shapovalov storms back, defeats Berdych in three-set thriller image

Through the first half hour of Denis Shapovalov's opening round match at the Italian Open, the 19-year-old Canadian didn't inspire much confidence he'd be able to continue his clay success.

But such is life for the teenager tennis phenom, who not only shook off the rust from an ugly first set, but achieved another milestone in the process.

After dropping a lackluster first set 6-1, Shapovalov stormed back in the second, and then won in a tie-break in the third to take down Tomáš Berdych, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(5). With the victory, Shapovalov earned the requisite points to pass Milos Raonic in the ATP, becoming the highest-ranked Canadian male player.

Berdych needed only 30 minutes to dispatch the Canadian teen in the opening set in Rome, leading 5-0 off a pair of breaks before Shapovalov finally produced his first hold to get the deficit to 5-1. Shapovalov began to get his feet under him at that point -- a pair of aces in that game -- and earned his first break point of the match before Berdych battled back to finally put away Shapovalov and take the set.

The second was a very different story, though, and Shapovalov came out looking like a player who had built some confidence off his late surge in the first. The players traded holds to open the second, but Shapovalov broke at 2-1 and consolidated out to 4-1, using that lead to serve out the second set, 6-3.

That set up an incredibly tight, decisive third set, where both players held serve all the way into a tiebreak.

There were tense moments: Shapovalov led 30-love with the set tied 4-4 before Berdych produced four straight points. Shapovalov himself had to stave off a deuce shortly after with Berdych a break away from winning the match, and it took a third game point for Shapovalov to finally get the set square at 5-5.

But Shapovalov was resilient, and worked out to a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak, doubling up on mini breaks. Though Berdych battled all the way back to even the tiebreak at 5-5, Shapovalov produced a big hold, and then a break on 6-5 with the first match point to complete the comeback.

With the victory, Shapovalov, who is fewer than 25 points behind Raonic in the ATP (no. 29 in the world versus No. 22) enough points that he will pass Raonic when the next round of ATP rankings are released. It marks the first time since 2010 that Roanic will not be the highest ranked Canadian in the ATP.

It may have been more symbolic than anything at this point, with Shapovalov's meteoric rise over the past year-plus certainly changed the conversation surrounding Canadian tennis. And it was last week that in the first head-to-head matchup between the countrymen, Shapovalov took down Raonic in straight sets at the Madrid Open in very much what felt like a changing of the guard, even if the ATP rankings had yet to reflect that. (Shapovalov's run to the semifinal round in Madrid did see him jump to a career-best 29 in the ATP.)

And with a chance to keep that momentum going, it looked like Shapovalov's run in Rome would come to an end before it ever really got started after looking overmatched by Berdych in the first set. But Shapovalov, who continues to look better and better in matches that go the distance, collected himself and mounted a comeback that will now leave no doubt as to who is the top Canadian player on the men's side.

Shapovalov's Italian Open will continue on Wednesday morning in the Round of 32 against Robin Haase, whom Shapovalov has never faced.

Evan Sporer