Denis Shapovalov was denied a place in the Winston-Salem Open final following a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz (No. 41) on Friday night. The 20-year-old will now head to New York to compete in the US Open, where he will face compatriot Félix Auger-Aliassime in the first round.

Having defeated Russia’s Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(4) earlier in the day, Shapovalov went into the semi-final clash against Hurkacz high on confidence. However, when the duo met for the first time earlier this year in Indian Wells it was Hurkacz who had the upper hand as he overcame the Canadian 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 in the round of 16.

Things didn’t go Shapovalov’s way early on here either as he dropped his serve in the sixth game, handing Hurkacz a 4-2 lead. The Wroclaw native was quick to convert that advantage into an opening set victory as he emerged on the right side of a 6-3 scoreline.

It was a frustrating start to the second set for Shapovalov too as he failed to convert on four break points in the third game, which a relieved Hurkacz would go on to recover thanks to some strong serving. That frustration continued when, at 40:15 down on his own serve, Shapovalov hit a wide forehand to gift his opponent a 5-4 lead and the chance to serve for the match.

Hurkacz wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity and produced a flawless performance in the last game to claim his place in the final. He will now face top seed Benoit Paire (No. 30) after the Frenchman beat Steve Johnson (No. 82) of the United States 1-6, 6-0, 6-0 in the evening’s other semi-final.

(Feature photo: Pascal Ratthe)

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