Denis Shapovalov continued his impressive play at the Rogers Cup with a 6-3, 7-5 second-round victory over red-hot Italian Fabio Fognini on Wednesday, fighting off a lengthy rain delay and a feisty opponent in the process.
Fresh off a pair of tournament victories over the past month, Fognini posed a huge challenge for the popular Canadian. Prior to Wednesday, Shapovalov hadn't advanced past the second round of an ATP Tour event since May, but playing on home soil seemed to be the boost required to lift the 19-year-old over his favoured opponent.
Shapovalov had an erratic first set, with the Canadian struggling with his first serve but also hitting five aces. His overall quality shone through enough to give him a 5-3 advantage before the match was suspended for over an hour due to rainfall.
When play resumed, Shapovalov promptly won the next game and took the set.
This atmosphere tho 🙌🙌@denis_shapo #RogersCup pic.twitter.com/RZGJyLnbSM
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 8, 2018
Fognini, the 31-year-old veteran who entered the tournament ranked 14th in the world, would demonstrate his experience by storming to a 4-0 lead in the second set, showing that the hometown youngster hadn't taken control of the match as easily as the first set suggested.
Not to be outdone, Shapovalov responded by winning four straight games of his own. The players then traded games as Fognini did his best to keep the teenager from claiming victory on his home court for the second straight night.
It wasn't meant to be for the Italian, who exchanged words with Shapovalov late in the set only to have his serve broken to allow the youngster to go up 6-5 and serve for the match. From there it was academic as Shapovalov delighted the Toronto crowd by advancing to the third round.
⚡️⚡️⚡️@denis_shapo stages remarkable comeback to topple Fognini 6-3 7-5.#RogersCup pic.twitter.com/cTuTgoBpiC
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 8, 2018
Shapovalov, who finished the match with nine aces, will take on Robin Haase in the Round of 16.