Canadian tennis is making its mark — now on the men's side.
On the last-ever "Manic Monday" at The Championships, two Canadians advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time ever. Denis Shapovalov defeated 2019 semifinalist Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 while his countryman Félix Auger-Aliassime bested the No. 4-seed Alexander Zverev, 6-4, 7-6(6), 3-6, 3-6, 6-4.
Both players entered Wimbledon after strong runs at tune-ups. Shapovalov, the No. 10 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals in Stuttgart, Germany and the semifinals at Queen's Club. Montrealer Auger-Aliassime, seeded 16th, entered the Grand Slam event after losses in the finals at Stuttgart and semis in Halle, Germany.
When Milos Raonic made the Wimbledon final in 2016, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger Aliassime made the boys doubles final and Shapo won boys singles.
— Caroline Cameron (@SNCaroline) July 5, 2021
Now they’re both through to the Wimbledon quarters. Super cool. pic.twitter.com/PPldmDUdsI
Now, both are in the final eight.
“I played some really high-level tennis today,” Shapovalov said. “I got a little bit nervous in the third set, but that is totally normal, and I dealt with that really well. I played flawlessly and I am super happy with myself.”
The Richmond Hill, Ont., kid is making his fourth appearance at Wimbledon but had never advanced beyond the Round of 64 in his other trips. His 2021 Wimbledon run matches his best-ever Grand Slam appearance at the 2020 U.S. Open, where he made the quarterfinals as well.
On Monday, he jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set and cruised to a 6-1 win in just 34 minutes. It took some time to get the break in the next two sets (eighth game in the second and 11th in the third) but he came through. Overall, Shapovalov had 15 aces but struggled again with his serve, with eight double faults. He won 78 percent of the points on his first serve and, while he had 41 unforced errors to Agut's 22, he also had an eye-popping 52 winners.
Auger-Aliassime had a little tougher route to victory, in just his second career appearance at Wimbledon. Trailing 4-2 in each of the first two sets, he was able to eke out wins against Zverev. The German won the next two sets setting up the final decisive set, which took some time thanks to rain. After a 35-minute delay, Auger-Aliassime had a chance to go up 3-0, but Zverev fought back and went up 3-2. The Canadian then won the next three games before closing things out in Game 10.
MOOD 💥👊🏽💥 #Wimbledon #QuarterFinals pic.twitter.com/EyDdHOX7Jm
— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) July 5, 2021
“It’s a dream come true, I’m just a normal guy from Canada,” said Auger-Aliassime, who after match point dropped to his knees and let out a yell. “It’s the biggest victory of my life, under a closed roof the atmosphere was amazing and I’m living this win with you.”
The young tennis stars are the fourth and fifth Canadians, respectively, to make the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in men's singles. (They join Robert Powell, Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil). Shapovalov will next face the No. 25 seed Karen Khachanov, while Auger-Aliassime will take on Matteo Berrettini.
If both advance past their quarterfinal opponents, Shapovalov could face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals; Auger-Aliassime could face Roger Federer.