Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov 1st Canadian men's duo to reach quarters of a Grand Slam
Beat 4th-seeded Zverev and No. 8 Bautista Agut on Monday in London, England
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov both advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time on a memorable day in Canadian men's tennis.
The two young tennis stars, and longtime friends, posted impressive fourth-round wins on Manic Monday at the grass-court Grand Slam.
Auger-Aliassime moved on with a 6-4, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 3-6, 6-4 upset over fourth-ranked German Alexander Zverev. The Canadian had 17 aces in the match.
Earlier, Shapovalov posted a 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Roberto Bautista Agut.
Auger-Aliassime withstood a comeback attempt from Zverev and earned what he called "surely the best victory of my life."
"This match really had everything," Auger-Aliassime said. "I had to really dig deep physically and mentally, and of course it makes it even sweeter."
WATCH l Auger-Aliassime downs Zverev in upset 5-set victory:
The 20-year-old from Montreal will face Matteo Berrettini next.
The match finished under a closed roof on No. 1 Court after a brief rain delay early in the fifth set.
The back-and-forth match saw Auger-Aliassime come back from being down a break in both the first and second set to take a 2-0 lead.
Auger-Aliassime, however, broke Zverev in the opening game of the deciding set and held on for the victory, dropping to his knees in celebration after match point.
"My celebration was very honest and genuine," Auger-Aliassime said. "it's a big milestone for me in my young career.
"You want to play well at the Grand Slams, especially here, being my favourite tournament."
Auger-Aliassime, seeded 16th at Wimbledon, reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Zverev struggled with his serve throughout and finished with 20 double-faults.
WATCH l Shapovalov defeats Bautista Agut in straight sets:
Shapovalov, ranked 10th at the grass-court Grand Slam, fired 15 aces in the win over No. 8 Bautista Agut and broke the Spaniard seven times on 13 chances.
"[I] played some really high-level tennis today," Shapovalov said. "It's really, really tough to pick on many things.
"Obviously I got a little bit nervous in the third set. I think it's completely normal. I dealt with that really, really well. Other than that, I played really flawless."
Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., will next face 25th-seed Karen Khachanov of Russia, who will also be playing in Wimbledon's final eight for the first time.
The two have met once before, with Shapovalov defeating Khachanov 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on hardcourt at the 2019 Davis Cup semifinals.
"Obviously I'm expecting a long and tough battle," Shapovalov said. "He's a great player, Karen. He's definitely proven himself time and time again that he's able to beat top guys and play really well."
At 39, Federer back in Wimbledon quarter-finals
Roger Federer became the oldest man in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals by beating Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion needed two attempts to serve out the first set but never looked threatened after that, winning 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 on Centre Court.
The 39-year-old Federer broke the age record for quarterfinalists held by Ken Rosewall, who was also 39 when he reached the last eight in 1974.
It is the 18th time Federer has gone that far at the All England Club, extending his own record.
Djokovic joined by parade of newcomers in quarters
Novak Djokovic reached his 12th Wimbledon quarter-final to pull even with Arthur Gore, who had a 117-year head start, while a parade of newcomers also made the final eight.
First-timers on the men's side also included Italian Matteo Berrettini, Marton Fucsovics of Hungary, Shapovalov and Khachanov.
Women advancing to their first Wimbledon quarter-final included No. 1-seeded Ash Barty, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, Tunisian Ons Jabeur and Karolina Plíšková of the Czech Republic.
Gore first played Wimbledon in 1888. Djokovic made his debut in 2005, and they share third place on the men's all-time list for most men's quarter-final berths, behind Roger Federer's 18 and Jimmy Connors' 14.
"It's a privilege to break records in the sport that I truly love," Djokovic said. "I'm devoted to this sport as much as I think anybody out there on the tour. I just try to do my best."
The No. 7-seeded Berrettini became the first Italian man in 23 years to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals by ousting Ilya Ivashka 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.
Barty halts Krejčíková win streak
The unseeded, 29-year-old Fucsovics became the first Hungarian to reach the Wimbledon men's quarter-finals since 1948 by upsetting No. 5 Andrey Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Jabeur became the first Arab woman to reach the quarters by rallying past 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Jabeur, seeded 21st, converted all seven-break point chances.
Barty has yet to play her best in the tournament but is the favourite to claim her second Grand Slam title. The Australian won the 2019 French Open and was the Wimbledon girls singles champion in 2011.
"I love coming out here and test myself against the best in the world," Barty told the crowd. "And there's certainly no place I'd rather be at the moment."
Sabalenka earned her first berth in a Grand Slam quarterfinal by beating Rybakina 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Plíšková, seeded eighth, has now reached the final eight at every major after hitting 10 aces and eliminating Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 6-3.
No. 19 Karolina Muchova made Wimbledon's quarters for the second year in a row by beating No. 30 Paula Badosa 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Gauff, Keys eliminated
Coco Gauff's Wimbledon run ended in the fourth round again.
The 17-year-old American lost to former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court.
It is the second time she has lost at that stage after her breakthrough run at the All England Club in 2019.
Kerber outplayed Gauff in the key moments, converting four of the five break points she created and saving four of the six that she faced.
"Coco is such a great, talented young player," Kerber said. "I'm really sure she will have a great career."
Kerber won Wimbledon in 2018 and is the only former champion left in the women's draw.
No. 23-seeded American Madison Keys was also eliminated, losing to Viktorija Golubic 7-6 (3), 6-3.
With files from The Associated Press
