A competitive Mubadala Citi DC Open quarterfinal between Denis Shapovalov and Ben Shelton came to an abrupt and unexpected end on Friday when Shapovalov defaulted during a second-set tiebreaker.
Shelton won the first set 7-6 (7-5) and was leading 6-3 in the second-set tiebreaker when Shapovalov sent a backhand into the net. That prompted a frustrated reaction that quickly spiraled.
Shapovalov slammed his racquet onto the court before turning the crowd. He began barking at a fan and lip-readers could tell some of the words began with an “F.” He then slammed his racquet down a second time.
Shapovalov gets defaulted as Shelton has 3 match points in Washington
He was defaulted for saying something to someone in the crowd who was bothering him as well as racquet throwing
He loses all prize money & points from the week
Not sure thats fair..
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 3, 2024
“He’s obviously said something to someone in the crowd,” commentator Brett Haber said.
“Well, if you can read lips, you know it was colorful words exchanged,” co-commentator Steve Weissman said.
Shapovalov’s action drew a rebuke from the umpire, who called a code violation for unsportsmanlike before an ATP supervisor was sent out onto the court.
Immediately, Shapovalov protested.
“What do you mean, he’s talking to me,” Shapovalov said. “I’m going to tell him off. . . Give me a code, but don’t call the supervisor.”
Shelton also lobbied on behalf of Shapovalov, saying he heard the chirping coming from the crowd. Ultimately, the pleading fell as deaf ears as Shelton was awarded the match.
“It’s unfortunate that a high-level match like that, such a great match that was highly contested, just an all-out war, ended like that,” Shelton said, via the Washington Post. “You never want to see it.”
With the win, Shelton moves on to the DC Open semifinals. Shapovalov, meanwhile, forfeits $53,420 and the 100 ATP rankings points he would have earned for simply losing outright.
