#NextGenATP Rule The Day In Delray

#NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov doesn’t want to leave the Delray Beach Open and its hundreds of Canadian tennis fans just yet.

The 18-year-old left-hander advanced to his first quarter-final of the season on Thursday, beating 21-year-old Jared Donaldson 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 25 minutes.

Shapovalov, the youngest player in the draw, has toughed his way through two tricky matches in Delray Beach. The Canadian prevailed past the big-serving Ivo Karlovic in his opener.

“I definitely picked up my serve in the second and third set… It was an really even match. We were both playing extremely well,” Shapovalov said. “I’ve been in this position before. Last year I was coming up with a lot of ‘W’s in late third sets but it’s definitely a big confidence booster for me. I’m starting to get a little bit of momentum, getting a lot of matches under my belt so I’m happy.”

Shapovalov will next meet #NextGenATP Taylor Fritz of the U.S., who prevailed past Russian veteran Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. Fritz hit 13 aces and won 77 per cent of his first-serve points.