(VIDEO) Denis Shapovalov threatens to leave court after crowd interruption in clash with Ben Shelton

Denis Shapovalov had a heated moment during the semifinals of the ATP 500 Dallas Open against Ben Shelton – although the controversy came due to interruptions from a person in the crowd, which led the defending champion to threaten to walk off the court during a discussion with the chair umpire.

The Canadian arrived in the semifinals as defending champion and with a strong campaign this week, defeating rivals such as Aleksandar Kovacevic and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The challenge this time was world No. 9 Shelton, who was seeking to join the final – where Taylor Fritz was already waiting to discover his opponent.

Shapovalov began more aggressive than his rival and had several break opportunities from the start. The Canadian secured a late break and ended up taking three games in a row to close the first set 6-4.

In the second set, Shapo was close to taking the lead, but he did not take advantage of his opportunities. After errors toward the end of the set, Shelton managed the break in the 10th game and claimed the second set by the same score of 6-4.

It was then that Shapovalov began his complaints during the changeover, claiming that a person in the crowd had been shouting between his serves. The Canadian threatened to leave the court amid his frustration, while the players were preparing for the change of ends.

“Tell them I’ll walk off the court right now,” was heard on the television broadcast as Shapovalov told the chair umpire, outraged after being interrupted during his service by a spectator at a key moment of the match.

Shelton, for his part, stayed away from Shapovalov’s complaints and remained focused in his chair waiting for the start of the third set. The American ultimately claimed the victory in the tie-break – after a third set without breaks – and secured his place in the Dallas Open final – his first final of the season.

“It was a gritty win. A lot of credit to Denis the way he's playing on this court. It's a freight train coming at you,” Shelton said after the match. “I've really made a concerted effort to show up to each tournament this year with the mindset that I want to win it. I'm there, each and every match, putting myself in the position that I need to compete at the highest levels.”

This Sunday, the first and second seeds Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton will face each other for the Dallas Open title. It will be the third time that an all-American final is played at the tournament.