Canada's Denis Shapovalov advances to semis after 2-win day at Geneva Open
Richmond Hill, Ont. native bested Serbian Laslo Djere 6-4, 6-4 in quarter-finals
Canada's Denis Shapovalov has advanced to the semifinals of the Geneva Open.
Shapovalov beat Italian qualifier Marco Cecchinato 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-1 in the second round before knocking off Serbian Laslo Djere 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals.
The Canadian saved eight of nine break points against Djere.
"I definitely think I played amazing today," Shapovalov said. "Obviously a very tough day playing two matches, but super happy to get the win and super excited to be in the semi-finals."
Against Cecchinato, Shapovalov won 86 per cent of points when he got his first serve in, 25 per cent better than his opponent.
WATCH | Denis Shapovalov wins 2nd match of the day to advance to Geneva Open semifinals:
Shapovalov, who got a bye in the first round, will face Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas in the semifinals.
"He's an amazing clay-court player, so it will definitely be a tough battle ahead of me," Shapovalov said.
Cuevas, ranked 102nd in the world, won his only previous match against Shapovalov on a hard-court in Indian Wells, Calif., in 2018.
The win over Cecchinato was Shapovalov's first match since he lost a three-set thriller against 20-time Grand Slam champ Rafael Nadal on clay at the Italian Open last week.
WATCH | Denis Shapovalov rallies from set down to advance to quarter-finals:
