Shapovalov Beats Fokina to Reach Dallas Open Semis

Frisco, Texas - Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov advanced to the semifinals of the Dallas Open on Friday, defeating third-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain in a three-set quarterfinal match.

The seventh-seeded Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ontario, dropped the opening set 7-5 before rallying to win 6-4, 6-3 against Fokina. The match lasted one hour and 58 minutes, the same duration as the other quarterfinal on the schedule. Shapovalov fired 17 aces and committed only two double faults during the contest. He held serve in 14 of 15 games and converted two of seven break-point opportunities, despite recording 39 unforced errors. Fokina managed two aces and three double faults, with 21 unforced errors; he won 12 of 14 service games but secured just one of 15 return games.

Shapovalov, the reigning champion at the ATP 500 event, has shown strong serving throughout the tournament. In his previous round on Thursday, he dispatched American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-4 in 66 minutes, slamming 22 aces and committing just one double fault while never facing a break point. Earlier, in the opening round on Tuesday, Shapovalov breezed past Spain's Rafael Jodar 6-1, 6-2 in...