NEW YORK (AP) – Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov got a little taste of late-night life at the U.S. Open along the way to knocking off No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
During the 69th-ranked Shapovalov’s 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night that put him in the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, the 18-year-old qualifier said he chatted a bit with some, um, overzealous spectators.
“I noticed a couple of guys had a little bit too much to drink. I mean, some of them were standing and, like, just talking to me as if we’re buddies. I was up a break in one game, I think it was probably 40-15, I just miss a backhand. (One fan is) like, ‘Aaaaah. No!’ I’m like, ‘Don’t worry, man. I got this,'” Shapovalov recounted with a smile.
“I mean, I was just taking it all in,” he continued.
“Like I said, it’s a dream come true to me to play a night match over here on Arthur Ashe. So for me, it was fun. Obviously it’s not easy to play under these conditions. But I managed to put a positive spin on it.”