Written by Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Friday, August 2, 2024
Washington DC, Canada Denis Shapovalov25, was ejected when he was down three match points due to verbal abuse from fans during his quarterfinal match against the No. 2 seed Ben Shelton.
A LOT: Shelton’s Work to Enhance His Comeback
At the Mubadala Citi DC Open ATP 500 tournament, Shelton found himself on match point in the second set at 6-3. The American number two had won the first set in a tiebreak.
The referee called the court for match point in the Shelton vs Shapovalov match. Shapo says: There is no need to call the management, just give me the warning that the referee has done. pic.twitter.com/dPH9Jbln84
– edgeAI (@edgeaiofficial) August 2, 2024
Shapovalov, after losing a point, threw his racket several times on the court. Then a rowdy fan in the stands apparently taunted the Canadian, prompting him to shout obscenities at the fan.
The strange scenes were then confirmed after the referee awarded a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct to Shapovalov. When the Canadian appealed to the referee Greg Allensworth, the director came to the court.
“What do you mean, you’re talking to me,” Shapovalov told the referee about the fan. “I’ll tell him. Give me the code, but don’t call the manager.”
Shapovalov then engaged in a long conversation with the manager, while Shelton waited for the drama to end. After the referee told the manager that he heard what Shapovalov said, but not the fan, Shelton came over and told the referee that he heard it too. After all that, Shapovalov ended up disqualifying.
After shaking Shelton’s hand at the net, Shapovalov had a few words with the manager before leaving the court.
The default is the country’s capital ❌⁰⁰🇺🇸 @BenShelton he had three match points against Shapovalov when the Canadian yelled at a spectator, leading to his disqualification.⁰⁰#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/cTPjQyCgOe
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 2, 2024
The 21-year-old Shelton advanced to the semifinals 7-6(5), 6-6 (W/O) and will face Italy. Flavio Cobolli.
“I don’t really have anything to say,” he said. “It is sad that such a high-level game, which was highly contested, just an endless battle, ended like that. You don’t want to see it.
“I think it was a tough situation all around.”
It’s not the first high-profile for Shapovalov.
Back in 2017, the then 17-year-old Shapovalov was ejected from the Davis Cup match against Great Britain when he kicked the ball on the courts but ended up accidentally hitting the referee in the eye, resulting in him being ejected from the match. although it was thought that Shapovalov did not intend to hit the referee.
As a result of this week’s disqualification, Shapovalov will forfeit all of his earnings and points earned this week at DC A with an additional fine or suspension pending the ATP.
Photo Credit: Mubadala Citi DC Open
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