Kopriva Shocks Shapovalov In Gstaad
Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva sprung a major surprise on Thursday at the Swiss Open Gstaad as he fought back to defeat top-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to record a career-best win.
The 24-year-old, who is making his ATP Tour debut this week, won 82 per cent (27/33) of his first-service points as he rallied back to overcome the World No. 10 in one hour and 49 minutes. He will face Mikael Ymer in the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event after the Swede saved two match points to move past Feliciano Lopez 6-7(6), 7-6(7), 6-4.
[WATCH LIVE 1]Kopriva is currently at a career-high No. 249 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He is the lowest-ranked player to beat a Top 10 opponent since then World No. 698 Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated former World No. 6 Milos Raonic at The Queen’s Club in 2017.
Shapovalov dictated play in the first set as he stepped inside the baseline and forced Kopriva back with his heavy topspin on his groundstrokes. The top seed raced 5-2 ahead and sealed the first set with one of the 11 aces he hit in the match.
The whole contest changed at the start of the second set though, when Kopriva moved into a 3-0 lead as he struck the ball with greater power to force Shapovalov into errors. Despite being broken back, Kopriva quickly regained his advantage as he served well to level. He continued to play consistently from the baseline in the third set, chasing down every ball as he disrupted Shapovalov’s rhythm to claim a massive win.
Shapovalov enjoyed a run to his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon earlier this month (l. to Djokovic). Having reached the final at the Gonet Geneva Open (l. Ruud) in May, the Canadian was seeking his first ATP Tour title since capturing the Stockholm Open in 2019.