GENEVA — Canada's Denis Shapovalov has advanced to the semifinals of the Geneva Open.
The second-seeded Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., won two matches on Thursday to book a spot in the final four after rain washed out his scheduled match on Wednesday at the ATP Tour 250 clay-court event.
Shapovalov beat Italian qualifier Marco Cecchinato 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-1 in the second round before knocking off Serbian Laslo Djere 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
The Canadian saved eight of nine break points against Djere.
"I definitely think I played amazing today," Shapovalov said. "Obviously a very tough day playing two matches, but super happy to get the win and super excited to be in the semi-finals."
Against Cecchinato, Shapovalov won 86 per cent of points when he got his first serve in, 25 per cent better than his opponent.
Shapovalov, who got a bye in the first round, will face Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas in the semifinals.
"He's an amazing clay-court player, so it will definitely be a tough battle ahead of me," Shapovalov said.
Cuevas, ranked 102nd in the world, won his only previous match against Shapovalov on a hard-court in Indian Wells, Calif., in 2018.
The win over Cecchinato was Shapovalov's first match since he lost a three-set thriller against 20-time Grand Slam champ Rafael Nadal on clay at the Italian Open last week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2021.
The Canadian Press
