Photo : Camera Works USA
Denis Shapovalov will not be joining the other three Canadians in the fourth round of the US Open after a disappointing loss to Lloyd Harris on Saturday night.
The seventh seed reached the quarter-finals in New York in 2020, but could not repeat the feat as he was defeated 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the third round.
The Canadian had a hard time maintaining leads, losing the second and third sets despite having led by a break.
He struggled to attack with consistency, committing 40 unforced errors to only 24 winners. He also struggled with his serve, only winning 68 percent of his first serve points and 33 of his second. He committed 9 double faults.
It was Shapovalov’s second loss to the South African in 2021.
Shapovalov had a couple of chances to break in the fourth and sixth games of the opening set, but Harris managed to save both with big serves.
The South African then converted his lone break point of the set by chasing down a drop volley for a spectacular winner to take a 4-3 lead. The Canadian would not have a chance to get back on serve as Harris hung on to take the opening set.
For a moment, it seemed like Shapovalov had found his groove, breaking early and racing to a 3-0 lead in the second set. But the momentum evaporated as quickly as it appeared as Harris won six of the next seven games, breaking twice, to take the set 6-4 and a two-set lead.
History then repeated in the second set, with Shapovalov breaking for an early lead, only to give the break right back. He was also broken at 4-all to put Harris in position to close out the match, which he promptly did.
Even in defeat, Shapovalov’s record at the US Open remains strong. He has reached at least the third round in all five of his appearances in New York.
