Denis Shapovalov has swept past Rafael Nadal to win the Third Place Play-Off at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi.
Shapovalov won through 6-7, 6-3, 10-6 in just over two hours with Nadal's return to the court ending in some good time on court but still some work to do ahead of the Australian Open.
The final takes place shortly between Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev with a champion set to be crowned.
Shapovalov took a break in the opening game of the opening set in a game which otherwise was dominated by holds of serve.
Nadal had no opportunity at a break point with the Spaniard facing another at claiming a 2-1 deficit early on. This was until Shapovalov served for the opener.
It was locked in at 5-5 from there with Nadal suddenly serving for 6-5 and to go one away from the set himself.
It went all the way to a tie-break with Nadal sealing it 7-4 surviving a late comeback from the Canadian and it was the first set that was there for the Spaniard.
But it was Shapovalov who claimed the second set claiming a break at 5-3 up after having a chance at 1-1 but spurning three opportunities. From there he swept his serve to tie it up.
It went to a tie break as a result with Shapovalov claiming a mini break to go 3-1 up before Nadal hit back to make it 6-4 after Shapovalov double broke Nadal's serve.
He was still 7-5 down but Shapovalov made it 8-5 from there as he looked to conclude the tie. Nadal shanked a ball and allowed Shapovalov to go 9-5 up.
He sealed it from there in a 10-6 tiebreak win for the Canadian.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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