(CNN)3rd-seeded Alexander Zverev was stunned by Denis Shapovalov in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday.
The German, who was widely considered one of the favorites for the Grand Slam, lost 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 to 14th seeded Shapovalov in Melbourne.
It continues Zverev’s wait for his first Grand Slam title after winning the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics last year.
The Canadian produced some massive serves in key moments and looked impressive throughout.
After Shapovalov took a set lead, a key early break point win in set number two saw Zverev vent his anger on his racquet, smashing it to the floor until it was thoroughly ruined.
Actually, it was Zverev who won the second set with a 5-3 lead, but he produced two double faults that allowed Shapovalov to hit back before later saving the second set in a tiebreak.
An early break in set number three allowed Shapovalov to control the decider and was able to claim the stunning first-time win as Zverev was only able to net a forehand.
Under the hot Australian sun, it took Shapovalov, 22, two hours and 21 minutes to complete the upset win over Zverev.
“I’m happy to come through again today and win,” Shapovalov said after reaching his first quarterfinal at the Australian Open.
“It’s always better to finish in a three-pointer…that’s probably the one I least expected to finish in a three-pointer,” he added.
Shapovalov now meets Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals after the Spaniard defeated Adrian Mannarino in straight sets.
In his hunt for a record-breaking 21 Grand Slam titles, Nadal endured a mammoth 28-minute tiebreak in the first set before knocking out Mannarino in the next two sets.
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After his victory over Zverev, Shapovalov paid his respects to the 35-year-old.
“It’s always an honor to face a guy like Rafa,” he said.
“It’s always fun, it’s always going to be a fight against him and yes it’s going to be a tough fight, I’ll definitely enjoy it.”
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