Shapovalov, the Israeli-born teenager, fends off Nadal and advances to the semi-finals in Montreal

Canadian Denis Shapovalov, born in Israel, continues unstoppable in Montreal. After leaving Nadal out in the round of 16, his next victim was Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, whom he beat 6-6, 3-6 and 4-25 in two hours and 25 minutes of play.

As in his confrontation with Nadal, the 18-year-old Canadian went from less to more. After losing the first set by a clear 6-2, he improved significantly in the next two to win the duel with absolute solvency.

Shapovalov prevented Spaniard Rafael Nadal from becoming world number one at the Montreal tournament by beating him in the round of 16 by 6-6, 4-7 and 6-4 (45) in two hours and 45 minutes of play.

Shapolvalov's victory leaves Nadal two victories away from being world number one again and prevents the Canadian tournament from seeing a much-desired final, which would pit the Spaniard against Swiss Roger Federer.

The match started with very good omens for Nadal. The Spanish player always controlled the situation and after breaking his rival's serve in the eighth game, he took the lead 6-3.

Everything predicted a quick victory for Nadal, but Shapovalov quickly took charge of breaking this feeling and with a difficult game in which he did not give up the ball, he managed to snatch the initiative from the Spaniard and take the set 6-4.

In the third and final match, the duel came to a head with blows from both top contenders. The two players got involved in an exchange of blows, in long exchanges with an uncertain ending that led them to resolve the duel on the tiebreaker, where Shapovalov got the better of himself to leave Rafael Nada out of the tournament.

Shapovalov, 143rd in the ATP rankings, was born in Tel Aviv, the son of Tessa and Viktor Shapovalov. His parents are Russian. His father is Russian Orthodox and his mother is Jewish. The family moved to Canada before Denis was a year old. He started playing tennis at the age of five, at the club where his mother worked as a coach. She still trains him with Adriano Fuorivia. EFE and Aurora