Denis Shapovalov engineered a comeback on Thursday in Rome, scoring his second win over an ailing Rafael Nadal with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory.
In a massive heartbreak for Rafael Nadal fans, the Spanish ace has been knocked out of the Italian Open 2022 after Denis Shapovalov produced a stunning comeback to seal his place in the quarter-finals.
The 10-time champion at Rome, who looked in sublime form at the start of the game, was defeated by the Canadian 1-6 7-5 6-2 in the last-16 round at the Foro Italico in Rome on Thursday.
Montreal 🤝 Rome outlasts Nadal in three sets to reach the quarter-finals at pic.twitter.com/TJjCrHHyUB
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV)It was a rematch of their round-of-16 clash at the same venue last year, in which the Spaniard saved two match points before winning. And the 13th seed advanced to his sixth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, denying the Spaniard a landmark 100th trip to that stage at the Masters 1000 level.
After going down an instant break in the final set, the Canadian won the final five games as the 21-time Grand Slam winner struggled with an apparent foot injury, likely related to his chronic left-foot problem.
The one-sided finish belied the hard-fought nature of the contest to that point, with the first two sets seeing a combined 17 breakpoints. Shapovalov improved to 2-4 against Nadal, picking up his first win in the ATP Head2Head since his breakout 2017 win in Montreal.
"Hopefully he's alright for French Open. I was a huge fan of his growing up. I watched him play so many times while growing up wanting to play and behave like him. So, I super lookup to him and hopefully he's fit for the French Open," the Canadian said.
'I'm a huge fan of his...Hopefully he's fit for the French Open' wishes the best for idol pic.twitter.com/CSAsCPPn4l
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV)Shapovalov next faces fifth seed Casper Ruud, who defeated Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-4 to secure his place in the tournament's quarter-finals. The Norwegian beat the Canadian in their only ATP Head2Head matchup in the 2021 Geneva final.
Nadal fans were left heartbroken following this loss, with several raising concerns if the Spaniard is fit to clinch a record 14th French Open title later this month. Here's a look at some of the reactions:
Get well soon and hope to see you in Paris, 🧡 pic.twitter.com/1eSNnrAwCU
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV)We love you so much ! You deserved much better this clay season so far, but your fans are proud of your passion and resiliency no matter what.
We know you’ll make the right decisions for your body, so just keep us posted and we’re all with you the whole way. 💙 pic.twitter.com/3tLQFRSi2J
No matter what, with you always and forever, !
— Genny SS (@genny_ss)Shapovalov beats Nadal in Rome.
Very tough to watch at the end with Nadal in pain and limping badly - as bad as we’ve seen it on court.
Shapovalov won 17 of the last 20 points.
Would probably be better if people treated Nadal's foot more like Fed's back than a normal injury. It's unpredictable, incurable and assuming the future after a flareup is likely foolish.
He missed most of 2021, he also won a 5 hour AO final on hard court, who knows.
Denis Shapovalov defeats Rafa Nadal 1-6 7-5 6-2. Congratulations.👏
Please let's give credit to Shapovalov for being the better player. He outplayed Nadal and deserved to win.
Absolutely devastating.Feels like the end of an era.Favourite sports person of all time.Nothing compares to watching Nadal play tennis.
— Stephen Benson (@srbtennisclub)Proud of the fightback from Shapo today. Would have been easy to give up after losing the 1st set 6-1 to Nadal. Sucked to see Nadal struggle so much at the end of the match. Hopefully he can be at his best for the French Open
— SantiaGOAT Espinal (@EspisNumber1Fan)Nadal made clear that he wasn’t able to play to his abilities as that match slipped away from him.
Road ahead is murky between now and French Open, he said; pain caused by foot injury isn’t predictable day-to-day for him at this stage.
It is usually impossible to go against Rafael Nadal at the French Open, but after that shock defeat to Denis Shapovalov in Rome it seems unlikely that he will be fully fit in ten days time.
Could be the perfect opportunity for Carlos Alcaraz to win his first Grand Slam.
Rafael Nadal and injuries man😔.. 10 days merely left for the FRENCH OPEN and his foot once again seems to be troubling him...Hopefully he will be fit and ready for Paris🤲🤞
— Asif Raza (@ASIFCR75)