Nine losses from 10 matches: How can Denis Shapovalov turn form around before US Open after Canadian Open loss?

The Canadian Open first-round match between Alex de Minaur and Denis Shapovalov was in the balance when it was suspended last Monday. De Minaur had taken the first set, but with the second-set tie-break level at 3-3 there was still the potential for a Shapovalov fightback when the contest resumed on Tuesday. But that was discounting Shapovalov’s torrid recent form, which made it not too surprising that the warm-up for the second part of the match lasted longer than the remainder of the tie-break.

A double fault to start set the tone, and three more mistakes sent Shapovalov spiralling to his ninth defeat from his last 10 matches, a world away from beating an injured Rafael Nadal on his way to making the quarter-finals in Rome in May. Ad The 23-year-old's only singles victory in the last three months was in five sets over Arthur Rinderknech at Wimbledon, and he has fallen outside the top 20 for the first time in nearly three years. US Open'It’s BS' – McEnroe says Djokovic should be allowed to play US Open19 HOURS AGO So what’s happened to the 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist and 2022 Australian Open quarter-finalist? Unfortunately for Shapovalov, his style of play, which he describes as “super aggressive”, is more prone to ups and downs than some of the steadier players, like De Minaur.

On his best days, Shapovalov can be electrifying. His jumping single-handed backhand is one of the most exciting shots in the game, and being a lefty, he can find tricky angles with his groundstrokes and serve that others simply can’t. His highlight reels from his best matches are surely spectacular viewing.