Ben Shelton and Denis Shapovalov’s quarter-final clash at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. ended in controversial fashion when the latter was defaulted from the tournament.
The Canadian star let his emotions get the better of him as his hopes of reaching the final four of the competition began to slip away.
Shapovalov took his frustrations out on his racket, lashing it at the ground, and took aim at a member of the crowd with an expletive that led the umpire to intervene and default him from the tournament.
Shelton had been on triple match point at the time and the incident drew heavy boos from the crowd as the match ended in unsavoury fashion.
Shapovalov had lost the first set 6-7 and the pair were 6-6 in the second. Three unforced errors saw the 25-year-old go three match points down, and he could not contain his disappointment after the trio of mistakes.
After firing a backhand shot into the net, Shapovalov launched his racket into the ground before then palmed it against the court once more after it bounced near to him. He was then seen kicking his racket before turning his attention to a member of the crowd.
Shapovalov engaged in a heated exchange with the spectator and reportedly swore at them after being heckled from the stands. It was hard to decipher what each party said exactly, though the chair umpire wasted no time in stopping the match.
Shapovalov was handed a code violation for verbal abuse to a spectator and the ATP supervisor was summoned, much to the frustration of both players.
Shelton, on the cusp of a win, protested against the decision and wanted the match to play out, arguing that he had also overheard the member of the crowd being loud throughout the bout.
His plea fell on deaf ears though, with Shapovalov questioning the need for the ATP supervisor as he felt that he was within his rights to ‘tell off’ the spectator.
As a result of the violation, he loses all of his prize money accrued from the week, as well as the points that he earned.
Shapovalov and Shelton appeared equally disappointed as they trudged off of the court, with the latter now set to face Flavio Cobolli for a place in the final.
