Denis Shapovalov upset an out-of-sorts Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in broiling heat on Sunday to reach his first Australian Open quarter final and set up a showdown with fellow left-hander Rafael Nadal.

The pugnacious Canadian was magnificent against the German third seed, earning one of his biggest career wins at Margaret Court Arena. For all Shapovalov’s talent and the predictions of grand slam success that have followed him, beating the very best has been a challenge.

Zverev was only the second top-five player he has beaten, with the first Nadal, four years ago in Montreal. Now the 22-year-old will bid to end the Spanish great’s bid for a record 21st grand slam title.

“I’m definitely expecting a long battle out there,” Shapovalov said of facing Nadal. Shapovalov will be primed for a marathon, having survived a five-set slog against South Korean Kwon Soon-woo in the second round and two four-setters besides.

That all came after he tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Sydney around Christmas and had to isolate. Shapovalov expected more of a battle against a listless Zverev, who was on the back foot throughout against the Canadian’s all-out attack.

After sleep-walking through the first set and going down a break in the second, Zverev rallied to take Shapovalov into a tie-break but promptly fell apart. Conceding an early break in the third set, the German bowed out meekly and was scathing of his own performance. “Everything,” he said, when asked what went wrong. “Today was just, in my opinion, awful from my side.”

‘Lucky’ Nadal

Nadal survived a mammoth first-set tie-breaker before going on to beat fellow lefty Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (14), 6-2, 6-2 and reach the quarter finals. Nadal and the Frenchman traded blows from the baseline during an engrossing 30-point tie-breaker lasting almost half an hour. The opening set lasted one hour and 21 minutes.

“The first set was very, very emotional,” the sixth- seeded Nadal, who saved four set points during the tie-breaker, said at Rod Laver Arena.

“Anything could have happened there. I was a little bit lucky at the end.”

After the energy-sapping first set under the blazing afternoon sun at Melbourne Park’s main showcourt, the 69th-ranked Frenchman wilted as Nadal went on to seal the win with an ace on his first match point.

Gael Monfils’ blistering start to the season continued as he eased past Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3. With wife and top women’s player Elina Svitolina beaming in the crowd, the flamboyant Frenchman lit up the Margaret Court Arena with sparkling shot-making to reach the last eight at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2016.

Barty masterclass

A day after declaring Ashleigh Barty unbeatable at her best, Australian great Rod Laver had the best seat in the arena named after him as the world No. 1 defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-3.

It was the most challenging match of this Australian Open for Barty, whose streak of winning 63 straight service games was snapped by her American rival in the second set. But an eighth straight victory to continue an unbeaten start to 2022 took the 25-year-old into the Australian Open quarter-finals for the fourth year in succession.

The top seed will play American Jessica Pegula, a quarter finalist in Melbourne last February, on Tuesday. Pegula dumped Greek fifth seed Maria Sakkari out 7-6(0), 6-3. Barty, bidding to become the first local since Chris O’Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open, has more in common with Laver than their brilliant backhands and status as grand slam champions, with both born in the state of Queensland. In typically understated fashion, she returned serve to his complement.

“It’s so nice to have him enjoying his own house, enjoying his own court. He was unbeatable. I’m certainly not,” Barty said. Anisimova, who upset defending champion Naomi Osaka in the third round, made 34 unforced errors, double the tally of Barty.

The most crucial came in the second set when she shanked a smash while holding a game point on serve for 4-3 lead. From that moment on Barty was in complete command, reeling off 12 of the next 14 points to clinch victory.

Madison Keys continued her resurgence by reaching the last-8 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over eighth seed Paulo Badosa. French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova continued her “magical” run of form by taking down an injury-hampered Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-2.