Facing match point, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov lost by default and was disqualified from the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open quarterfinals in an ending that left fans booing Friday in Washington.
Shapovalov’s opponent, No. 2 seed Ben Shelton, had just won a point and was about to serve for the match, up 7-6 (5), 6-6, 6-3. Shapovalov bounced his racket on the court in frustration and swatted it away, then had a verbal exchange with a fan seated behind his baseline.
Umpire Greg Allensworth elected to default Shapovalov, which prompted not only Shapovalov to defend himself but also Shelton to say he did not want the match to end that way.
Though he had reached the quarterfinals, Shapovalov will receive no prize money or ranking points for the week as a result of the default.
Shelton’s semifinal opponent will be Italian 10th seed Flavio Cobolli, a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (2) winner over No. 15 seed Alex Michelsen.
No. 4 Sebastian Korda defeated No. 7 Jordan Thompson of Australia 6-4, 6-2. Korda will get the winner of Friday’s nightcap between Russian top seed Andrey Rublev and hometown favorite Frances Tiafoe, the No. 5 seed.
–Field Level Media
