Shapovalov beats Haase at Davis Cup; Canada leads the Netherlands 2-0
TORONTO — Denis Shapovalov looked across the hard court and saw that Robin Haase was starting to get tired. Shapovalov had lost the first two sets of their five-set Davis Cup match but could sense his opponent was losing his legs.
Over a gruelling three hours 35 minutes Shapovalov wore down Haase for the win as Canada took a 2-0 lead over the Netherlands on Friday night in the second rubber of their Davis Cup tie.
“After winning the third I just got pumped and I saw that he was slowly getting tired,” said the 19-year-old Shapovalov. “In the fourth and the fifth I felt like I had more momentum, I was the better player, a little bit more fresh, and I was controlling most of the points.”
Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., struggled with his returns in the first two sets, but prevailed 3-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.