MADRID — Denis Shapovalov defeated fellow Canadian Milos Raonic 6-4, 6-4 in a third-round matchup Thursday at the Madrid Open.
Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., needed one hour 22 minutes to complete the victory.
Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., is currently ranked 24th in the world, 19 positions higher than Shapovalov. It was the first-ever tournament meeting between the two Canadians.
Shapovalov will next face world No. 22 Kyle Edmund of Britain, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 10th-ranked David Goffin of Belgium.
In other matches, top-ranked Simona Halep dropped a 6-4, 6-3 decision to Karolina Pliskova in women’s quarterfinal play. Halep was the two-time defending champion and on a 15-match winning streak at the clay-court tournament.
But Pliskova gave the Romanian no chance, breaking her serve four times and hitting 20 winners.
“This was one of my best matches of the year,” the sixth-seeded Pliskova said. “I feel amazing since in the last six matches I lost to her. I never thought I would beat her. My serve was great and everything went my way.”
Pliskova won her 10th career title in April, when the Czech was victorious on clay in Stuttgart.
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With files from The Canadian Press.
The Associated Press