It took five sets, but Canadian Denis Shapovalov's impressive run at the Australian Open is over.
Spain's Rafael Nadal outlasted the left-hander from Richmond Hill, Ont., winning a marathon five-set quarter-final match (6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3) at Rod Laver Stadium on Tuesday in Melbourne.
With the win, Nadal remains on track for a record 21st major singles title. He also improved his career record against Shapovalov to 4-1.
Shapovalov broke his racket on the hard blue court after the frustrating loss to Nadal, who later acknowledged he felt "destroyed" physically on a hot Tuesday afternoon.
There were plenty of momentum-shifting moments, including Nadal needing attention for a stomach ailment in the third and fourth sets after dominating the first two.
WATCH | Shapovalov eliminated by Nadal in tough 5-set quarter-final match:
Shapovalov openly complained to chair umpire Carlos Bernardes about Nadal getting longer breaks than players usually are entitled to, and taking too long between points.
He took a few shots at Nadal in his post-match news conference, too, saying he's "100 per cent" convinced the 35-year-old Spaniard receives special treatment.
"I respect everything that Rafa has done and I think he's an unbelievable player. But there's got to be some boundaries," Shapovalov said. "It's just so frustrating as a player. You feel like you're not just playing against the player; you're playing against the umpires, you're playing against so much more.
"Physically I feel fine. Just emotionally more, just sucks to lose that one. Definitely felt like I had it on my racket. And towards third, fourth, fifth set I felt like I was the better player, had more chances. Just one bad game for me."
Nadal rejected any assertion that he gets any special treatment from umpires or referees, and noted that Shapovalov was young and said he would get over it.
"I honestly feel sorry for him. I think he played a great match for a long time," Nadal said. "Of course is tough to accept to lose a match like this, especially after I was feeling destroyed and probably he felt that, and then I was able to manage to win.
"I wish him all the very best ... probably he will understand later on after he thinks the proper way that probably he was not right today."
WATCH | Shapovalov expresses frustration with chair umpire during Australian Open loss:
Nadal shares the men's record of 20 major singles titles with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and he's got an inside run with the absence of his long-time rivals at Melbourne Park. Federer continues to recover from knee surgery, and Djokovic was deported for failing to meet Australia's strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
Nadal was appearing in his 14th Australian Open quarter-final, tying him with Australian John Newcombe for second behind Federer (15).
Shapovalov, 22, was in his first Australian Open quarter-final. He came off a 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over third-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany.
Nadal converted two-of-three break opportunities that allowed him to win the opening two sets and take early control of the match.
Nadal grabbed the edge in the first set, breaking the Canadian's serve to go ahead 3-1. Shapovalov was unable to return the favour as Nadal held serve to take the opener 6-3.
A second Nadal break gave the Spaniard a 4-3 advantage, which he then pushed to 5-3 after holding serve. Shapovalov managed to fend Nadal off and hold serve to pull to within 5-4, but Nadal served out the set 6-4 for a 2-0 advantage.
The two remained on serve in the third set until the 10th game when Shapovalov earned his first break to take it 6-4. Then in the fourth set, Shapovalov recorded his second break for a 3-1 advantage en route to a 6-3 victory to force a fifth and deciding set.
An early third break helped stake Nadal to a 3-0 advantage. Shapovalov held serve for the remainder of the set but couldn't break Nadal, who was able to serve out the set and match.
Shapovalov finished with 20 aces and five double faults while Nadal had 10 aces and 11 double faults.
Canada still has a player alive in men's singles. Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime will face Russian Daniil Medvedev also in quarter-final action.
Barty, Keys set for semis clash
The women's quarter-finals were over in straight sets, with 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys beating French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-2 in the Day 9 opener on Rod Laver Arena and top-ranked Ash Barty advancing with a 6-2, 6-0 win over No. 21 Jessica Pegula.
Barty is back in the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the second time in three years; Keys is back seven years after losing her first Grand Slam semifinal to Serena Williams in Australia.
Barty, who won the Wimbledon title last year and the French Open in 2019, wants to become the first Australian woman to win the Australian Open singles title since 1978.
In her best run to date, she lost in the 2020 semifinals to eventual champion Sofia Kenin.
"I've grown as a person. I've grown as a player," Barty said. "I feel like I'm a more complete player."
Keys continued her resurgent 2022 season, extending her winning streak to 10 matches, including a title run in a tune-up event, and 11 overall for the year. She only won 11 matches in total in 2021, when her year-end ranking slumped to 56th.
"I did everything I could to rest this off-season and focus on starting fresh and new ... starting from zero and not focusing on last year," Keys said. "I think it's going well so far."
Krejcikova took a medical timeout while trailing 5-2 in the first set, with the temperature heading toward 32 C.
"It was the heat with some physical conditions that started to bother me after five games," she said. "I mean, from there on, you know, I just couldn't put it together."
Canada's Shapovalov's valiant comeback effort halted by Nadal in marathon match at Australian Open quarters - CBC Sports
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