Shapovalov drops hard-fought match to top-ranked Medvedev in Cincinnati

Denis Shapovalov gave up a pair of 11th-game breaks in a 7-5, 7-5 loss to world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in third-round action Thursday at the Western & Southern Open Masters-level tennis tournament.

Shapovalov showed flashes of skill at points during the match, particularly in the ninth game of the second set. Shapovalov fought off four break points and took a 5-4 lead after winning a game that took nine minutes 42 seconds to complete.

There is little margin for error when facing Medvedev, however. After the Russian held serve to tie the game 5-5, Shapovalov fell behind early in the 11th game, committing a forced error at the net on the first point then committing a double fault to go down 30-15.

Shapovalov tied the game 30-30 but Medvedev won the next two points, finishing the break when Shapovalov ended an eight-volley rally with his 21st unforced error of the match.

WATCH | Shapovalov eliminated by Medvedev:

Shapovalov ousted by world No. 1 Medvedev in Cincinnati round of 16

3 hours ago

Duration 3:58

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., fell to world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev of Russia 7-5, 7-5 in the Western & Southern Open round of 16 in Cincinnati.

Medvedev served to love in the deciding game to win the match in one hour 46 minutes.

Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., went down an early break in the first set, but converted his only break point of the match in the eighth game to tie the set 4-4.

After both players held, Medvedev converted his fourth break point of Game 11 to take a 6-5 lead. In the following game, he set up set point with an ace then won it when Shapovalov couldn't handle his serve.

Medvedev has won three straight matches against Shapovalov and leads the career series 3-2.

Seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal was scheduled to face 10th seed Jannik Sinner of Italy later Thursday.

Meanwhile, American Madison Keys upset No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.

Swiatek, a two-time Grand Slam champion, hasn't gotten past the round of 16 in four tournaments since winning Roland Garros in June.

The win was the 24th-ranked Keys' first in six matches against a top-ranked opponent. She had never won a set against a No. 1 player.

After dropping the first set and losing the first five games of the second, Swiatek rallied to win four straight, fighting off one match point before Keys clinched with a forehand winner to the ad court off a shot that clipped the net.

Swiatek won her first two matches against Keys, including 6-1, 6-0 earlier this year at Indian Wells.

"Obviously, there were a couple of games where I had match point," Keys said in an on-court interview. "She beat me pretty badly the last time we played, so I was happy to get the win."

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova also advanced to the women's quarter-finals with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 win over 2022 Wimbledon finalist and fifth-seeded Ons Jabeur.