ATP Doha: Tournament favorite Denis Shapovalov fails due to Arthur Rinderknech
Canadian number one DenisShapovalov failed in two sets in the quarterfinals of the ATP World Tour 250 event on Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech .
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Feb 17, 2022, 07:24 pm
Denis Shapovalov is arguably one of the most talented players of the current generation. However, the current number twelve in the ATP ranking is always good for an early exit - this time in the quarter-finals of the ATP hard court tournament in Doha. For the 22-year-old it was a smooth 4: 6-4: 6 defeat against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech (ATP 61). The 26-year-old from the Cote d'Azur now meets the defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili (ATP 22) in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour 250 event, who in turn beat the Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 1: 6, 6: 3 after a false start , 7:5 out of the competition.
Bautista Agut remains a favorite
In the on-court interview, Rinderknech was very happy with his performance: "It feels great to win and to be in the semifinals, especially against such a great player. I'm very happy, I worked hard on myself during the off-season, I think my body is in good shape - that helps.” The Frenchman has a clearly positive record with nine wins and three losses this season. Rinderknech has not yet been able to celebrate a tournament victory at ATP Tour level in his career.
In contrast to Shapovalov, the number two of the tournament, Roberto Bautista Agut, lived up to his role as favourite. The 33-year-old mercilessly defeated his compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ATP 47) 6: 1, 6: 1 in the last eight. The Spaniard, who inflicted a bitter defeat on veteran Andy Murray yesterday, will face either Croatian Marin Cilic or Russian Karen Khachanov in the semifinals.