Denis Shapovalov gets defaulted at Citi Open for ‘shouting at a spectator’ as Ben Shelton moves to Semifinals

Denis Shapovalov was defaulted from the Citi Open quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton while being three match points down.

Denis Shapovalov gets defaulted at Citi Open for ‘shouting at a spectator’ as Ben Shelton moves to Semifinals

Denis Shapovalov (Via Imago)

An intense situation unfolded at the Citi Open as Ben Shelton beat Denis Shapovalov in two tight sets to advance to the semi-finals on Friday (August 2). The two fierce left-handers thrilled fans with their hard-fought points, but the match ended unexpectedly with Shapovalov being defaulted.

From the start, both players played tough tennis, keeping viewers on their toes. Shelton narrowly won the tie-break in the first set, and the intense battle continued into the second set.

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Winning game after game, they were in the tie-break of the second set as well. Shelton won a couple of mini-breaks and secured three match points over Denis Shapovalov. The Canadian was very expressive as he tried to climb back into the match. Unfortunately, after losing the point at 5-3, the Canadian lost his cool and gave back to a fan nearby.

FS Video

He threw his racket on the ground a couple of times and began shouting at the fan. However, just as Shelton was getting ready to serve for the match, the umpire defaulted Shapovalov for shouting at the fans, meaning that Shelton was through to the semi-final of the Citi Open.

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Ben Shelton returns strongly on the hard court to make it to the semi-final of the Citi Open

With three-quarters of the tennis season over, players head to the States for the final stretch. The hard courts are back in play, starting with the Citi Open, where Ben Shelton is one of the four semi-finalists.

Ben Shelton and Denis Shapovalov
Ben Shelton and Denis Shapovalov shake hands after Shapovalov was defaulted during their quarterfinal match (Via Imago)

He will take on Flavio Cobolli for a place in the final on Saturday night. Shelton is the second seed of the tournament and is en route to another tournament win of the season. However, Shelton is not the only American in the tournament. Along with him, Sebastian Korda and Frances Tiafoe are also present and may challenge Shelton if he makes it to the finals.

With the US Open season underway, American players are making noticeable progress in tournaments, hoping to break the US Open curse with extensive pre-season practice. The Citi Open kicks off the American campaign, with more exciting tournaments to follow.

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