Denis Shapovalov is enjoying a few of his finest tennis of the 12 months on the finish of 2024 and finds himself in his first semifinal of the season after simply beating Australia’s Christopher O’Connell on Thursday within the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 occasion in Belgrade, Serbia.
It was one-way visitors for the Canadian within the quarter-final conflict, who broke early and by no means seemed again on his technique to a 6-2, 6-2 win in 71 minutes. He has already received 5 matches this week in Belgrade, having come by qualifying to get into the primary draw.
Inconsistency on serve has haunted Shapovalov at occasions this season however that was not the case on Thursday as he put 74 per cent of his first serves in play and received 91 per cent of these factors, shedding simply three. He struck a dozen aces to simply two doubles faults and saved the one two break factors he confronted.
Shapovalov wasted no time in asserting himself, making use of strain in O’Connell’s opening serving recreation and was handed the rapid break when the Aussie double-faulted.
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O’Connell had a glance to get the break again at 2-1 when some errors crept into the Canadian’s recreation and he discovered himself going through a pair of break factors. Nevertheless, he wiped each away with some spectacular hitting earlier than discovering one other gear on serve.
His double fault to arrange the second break level was the final level Shapovalov would lose on his personal serve for over half an hour. He received his subsequent 18 factors in a row on serve, together with all of his remaining service factors within the first set, till lastly double-faulting serving up a break at 2-1, 40-love within the second set.
These seems to be at break level within the fourth recreation of the primary set have been O’Connell’s solely break possibilities within the match. Every thing was clicking for Shapovalov as he dominated from each the baseline and the online. The Canadian broke once more to take a 5-2 lead the place he promptly served out the set to like, delivering three unreturnable serves and a forehand winner within the closing recreation.
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The second set began off the identical method as the primary, with Shapovalov breaking within the opening recreation. There was no glimmer of hope for O’Connell within the second because the Canadian continued to clip alongside on serve. He took a stranglehold on the match with a break within the fifth recreation when the Aussie netted a forehand. That second break was the ultimate nail within the coffin as Shapovalov rode his serve to the end line.
Standing between Shapovalov and his first closing since October 2022 will probably be fourth seed Jiri Lehecka. The Czech received their lone earlier assembly again in February 2022, additionally on indoor exhausting courts in Rotterdam.
