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WATCH: Denis Shapovalov Reacts to Facing Rafael Nadal at Australian Open 2022 Quarterfinals

Published 01/23/2022, 5:15 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

At the Australian Open, number 14 seed, Denis Shapovalov, caused a big upset today in the men’s fourth-round match by beating the number 3 seed Alexander Zverev. The Canadian player will now face the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal in a blockbuster of a quarter-final match.

After defeating the World no.3, Denis looked extremely happy with his performance during the post-match interview. Then the Canadian talked about facing Rafa in the quarter-final and how excited he was about that match-up. 

USA Today via Reuters

Denis Shapovalov will face Rafael Nadal in a dream match

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Alexander Zverev was a big favorite to win today’s match against Denis Shapovalov. But the German let himself down and his fans with a terrible performance. In the end, Shapovalov won the match in straight sets by 6-3,7-6,6-3 and through to the quarter-final. 

Both players made some terrible mistakes in the match with Shapovalov making 11 double faults and Zverev making 8. But, Zverev made those mistakes during crucial points and that cost him the match. Despite making a lot of errors, Shapovalov hit 35 winners in the match, which was decisive in the end. 

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After winning this match, Denis became only the third Canadian in this open era to reach the quarter-final at the Australian Open. After the match, the Canadian looked really excited about facing Rafael Nadal in the next round. 

Watch This Story: 5 Rafael Nadal shots that made the commentators go wild at the Australian Open 2022

“It’s always an honor to go up against a guy like Rafa… It’s always fun, it’s always gonna be a battle against him… I’m definitely gonna enjoy it,” Shapovalov spoke during the interview. 

Nadal easily passed Mannarino

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Earlier today, Rafa easily beat Adrian Mannarino of France in straight sets, as the final score was 7-6,6-2,6-2. After seeing the battle in the first set, nobody thought Rafa would win this match so easily at the end, which he did, eventually. Now, Rafa will face the young Canadian, Denis Shapovalov, in the quarter-final of the Australian Open. 

Their match-ups have always been competitive even though Rafa has a better head-to-head record against Denis. Interestingly, this is the first time they will meet each other in a Grand Slam tournament. That’s why the excitement is really high for this match as both the players will try to outclass each other. 

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Who will win this match? Let us know in the comments.

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Debkinkar Maity

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Debkinkar Maity is a Tennis Author at EssentiallySports. His desire to become a sports journalist inspired him to take up a degree in journalism and mass communication, and he hasn't looked back ever since. Following the sport for over a decade now, Debkinkar has an ardent love for Roger Federer.
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