Denis Shapovalov stuns an injury-ridden Nadal in Rome

Denis Shapovalov nearly stunned Rafael Nadal last year in Rome but he was able to do this year as the Spaniard collapsed in the final set with an injury 1-6 7-5 6-2.

Denis Shapovalov loves playing in Rome as he proved it both last year and this week. He also loves playing against Nadal because the lefty always troubles Nadal whenever they play. He nearly defeated him last year in Rome in a match that Nadal himself admitted he should have never won. This year the draw paired them up again and Shapovalov proved better.

It did not start well as Nadal was playing like a wall. Whatever Shapovalov tried Nadal had a response and it was a very good one. The Spaniard kept himself in points and Shapovalov piled up the errors. It was 6-1 for Nadal in the first set with the 2nd set providing more fight from Shapovalov. The Canadian was able to use a lapse in the focus of Nadal to take an early lead.

Nadal would battle back to make it event but the Canadian was still able to break Nadal and take the 3rd set with 7-5. The final set was a weird one as Nadal took an early break but then failed to hold onto it and it was 1-1. Shapovalov took the 2-1 lead and Nadal made it 2-2. Around that time, Nadal started experiencing leg issues.

His movement became slow, he missed a lot due to being late and some balls he never chased. Shapovalov took a 4-2 lead and then finished it off with 6-2 as Nadal was seen limping around.