Roger Federer was to make Denis Shapovalov’s dream come true yesterday after the Swiss booked a Miami Open semi-final against the Canadian starlet with a ruthless 6-0, 6-4 destruction of Kevin Anderson.
Shapovalov, who beat fellow young gun Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2 to reach his third ATP Masters semi-final, grew up idolizing and studying the 20-time Slam-winning legend who once again rolled back the years with a sublime show at Hard Rock Stadium.
This is to be their first meeting and one the Canadian, who is to break into the top 20 when the rankings are released next week, cannot wait for.
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“It’s a matchup I have been looking forward to my whole life, a high-stakes match against your idol. It’s just a dream come true,” Shapovalov said. “I will try and approach it like any other game, try and enjoy it, give it my all. It will be a difficult match, but I am just happy to have a chance to play him.”
With Shapovalov taking on Federer and longtime friend and compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime, 18, facing defending champion John Isner in the semis, the tennis stars of tomorrow are beginning to prove their worth on the biggest of stages.
“It’s crazy for me and Felix to both have reached the semi-finals,” Shapovalov said, while Federer called the clash of generations “exciting.”
“It’s an exciting draw, for John and for myself here, playing these young guys,” Federer said. “They are not just young, but they are very good as well.”
“I practiced with Denis way back, he might have been 16, 17. He was just hitting big. I was, like: ‘Wow, it’s unbelievable. How old is he? How good is he going to get? It’s going to be tough against him,” he added.
In the women’s contest, the weather certainly could have badly affected Ashleigh Barty’s attempt to reach her biggest WTA final with a four-hour delay putting her charge on hold.
The Australian had played just four games with Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit before the rain came, although once play resumed, the 22-year-old, who is to break into the top 10 off the back of her excellent run to today’s final, took advantage of her error-prone opponent to win 6-3, 6-3.
“It was a very long day. I know we had to wait around, but it was an opportunity to drink some coffee and watch the golf, so I was relaxed,” said Barty, who took time out of the game in 2015 to play cricket before returning in 2016.
The day’s delays saw Karolina Pliskova wrap up a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Simona Halep after 1am.
Halep missed the chance to return to world No. 1 by reaching the final as Pliskova won nine straight games — and 10 of the last 11, to battle back from 5-3 down in the first.
“It wasn’t easy waiting for so long, but I managed to stay aggressive,” said Pliskova, who hit 29 winners to Halep’s 18. “Ashleigh is a good player, but I am excited for the final.”
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