Denis Shapovalov will fight in Belgrade for the second title of his career | ATP Tour

Belgrade

Shapovalov will fight in Belgrade for the second title of his career

The Canadian will face the local Medjedovic in the last round

November 08, 2024

The indoor hard court is a surface on which Denis Shapovalov brings out his best level and this is what he is demonstrating at the end of the season, where he has managed to add a sufficient number of victories to go from the doors of the Top 100 to No. 61 in the PIF Live ATP Rankings that you occupy this Friday.

The jump in the world rankings comes after the Canadian earned a ticket to the final of the Belgrade Open against the No. 4 seed Jiri Lehecka, after a spectacular performance that he signed 6-2, 6-1 in 56 minutes.

Shapovalov reached the seventh final of his career, fifth on an indoor hard court and first since advancing to the final round at Vienna 2022 (l. to Daniil Medvedev).

Coming from the qualifying phase, he is completing a great week in the capital of Serbia, where he has only dropped one set in the first round against Marton Fucsovics.

From then on he has resolved with authority his following matches against Nuno Borges (6-2, 6-4) in the second round, Christopher O’Connell (6-2, 6-2) in the quarterfinals and Lehecka himself (6 -2, 6-1 in the semifinals.

Shapovalov equaled the Lexus ATP Head2Head (1-1) against Lehecka, who had won his only precedent in Rotterdam. With 96% of points won on the first serve (25/26) according to Infosys ATP statistics, he earned the right to fight for the second title of his career.

The only title in the 25-year-old Canadian’s showcase was also won on an indoor hard court in Stockholm 2019.

It won’t be easy for him, because this Saturday a player awaits him on the other side of the net who will have the support of the local public. It will be Hamad Medjedovic who defeated Laslo Djere in the semifinals 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2) in two hours and 27 minutes.

Medjedovic, 21, appeared in his first ATP Tour final to become the third youngest Serbian player to do so, since Novak Djokovic did so at 19 in Amersfoort 2006 and Miomir Kecmanovic, at 19, in Antalya 2019.

Did you know that…?

Denis Shapovalov is the third Canadian to advance to an ATP Tour final this season, after his compatriots Felix Auger-Aliassime (Madrid) and Gabriel Diallo (Almaty) did so previously.