Denis Shapovalov, of Canada, salutes the crowd after defeating Rafael Nadal, of Spain, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017, in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)
MONTREAL, Canada—Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov stunned top seeded Rafael Nadal to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Montreal Masters tournament, spoiling the Spaniard’s chances of returning to world number one.
The 18-year-old Shapovalov, who needed a wild card to get into the tournament, continued his giant killing form at the hardcourt tournament by rallying to beat Nadal in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) on Thursday.
Nadal would have returned to No. 1 in the world if he had defeated Shapovalov Thursday and Chung Hyeon or Adrian Mannarino on Friday.