Canada’s Denis Shapovalov has qualified for the final of the tennis tournament in Seoul, where he will face Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka on Sunday.
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The fourth-seeded man, nicknamed “Shapo,” defeated American Jenson Brooksby, the 46th slugger in the world, in straight sets 7-5, 6-4 in Saturday’s semifinals. Opportunistically, the Canadian managed to stop his opponent’s service five times in this match.
“I’m really happy with my performance,” said Shapovalov, quoted on the ATP website. Jenson is a super tough opponent and I’m just happy that I won and made it to the final.”
Shapovalov meets Nishioka, the 56th player in the world, on Sunday. In the event of a win, the Canadian, who is ranked No. 24 in the world, could get his hands on a second career title after the one he won in Stockholm in 2019.
Brilliant week for Nishioka
Shapovalov and Nishioka meet for the second time in their careers. In 2018, the Japanese defeated the Canadian in the round of 16 in Shenzhen, China, in three sets 7: 6 (5), 3: 6 and 7: 5. It was Nishioka who then won the tournament.
Earlier this week, the Canadian had a relatively easy run in Seoul. After a first-round bye, he defeated Spaniard Jaume Munar, world No. 59, and Moldovan No. 91 Radu Albot before beating Brooksby.
In the case of Nishioka, he particularly surprised the tournament’s favorite, Norwegian Casper Ruud, in the quarterfinals. Ruud is number two in the ATP, behind Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. The Japanese also dismissed fifth-seeded Briton Daniel Evans in the first round.