Denis Shapovalov cruises to semifinals at Paris Masters with dominant win over Monfils
Canadian downs hometown hero, will face Nadal on Saturday
Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov continued his impressive run at the Paris Masters with a 6-2, 6-2 quarter-final win over France's Gael Monfils on Friday.
Shapovalov was dominant in his latest victory over a top opponent, building on early breaks in both sets and not letting 13th-seed Monfils get into the match.
The 20-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., currently ranked 28th in the world, posted his third straight win over a top-15 opponent. He also defeated 11th-seed Fabio Fognini in the second round and stunned world No. 6 Alexander Zverev in the round of 16.
The win ensures Shapovalov will finish the season with a top-20 ranking on the ATP Tour.
Shapovalov will face No. 2 Rafael Nadal in Saturday's semifinals.
WATCH | Shapovalov cruises into semifinals:
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic sped into the semifinals by demolishing seventh-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-2 on Friday.
Djokovic, last year's runner-up, is bidding for the year-ending No. 1 ranking. He next plays U.S. Open semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov, and leads the unseeded Bulgarian 8-1 in their career meetings with the only defeat coming on outdoor clay six years ago.
With files from The Associated Press