Canada’s Denis Shapovalov beats Norway’s Casper Ruud in final of Dallas Open

Denis Shapovalov, of Canada, plays a forehand return to Roberto Bautista Agut, of Spain, during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Manish Swarup (Manish Swarup/AP)

His confidence sky-high after eliminating some of the tournament’s big names earlier in the week, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov played some of his best tennis when it mattered most on Sunday.

The result was a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over second-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway in the final of the Dallas Open.

It was the third career title for the left-hander from Richmond Hill, Ont., and first ATP 500-level crown.

“I just felt like I had to go for it against Casper,” Shapovalov said in a telephone interview as he enjoyed a post-match meal. “Obviously he’s a super-tough opponent. I was swinging away trying to really play tough. I tried to play to win today.”

Shapovalov had a 13-5 edge in aces and won 72 per cent of his first-serve points. He saved the lone break point he faced and wrapped up the win in one hour and 40 minutes.

The Canadian took down the top three seeds over the week. He beat top seed and world No. 4 Taylor Fritz of the U.S. in the second round and upset third-seeded American Tommy Paul, the world No. 9, in the semifinals.

The fifth-ranked Ruud presented another stiff challenge. Shapovalov used his booming ground strokes and deft short game to move the Norwegian around the court.

Shapovalov also stepped up with some aggressive play in the tiebreaker.

A sizzling backhand down the line gave him a 3-1 edge and mini-break. Ruud got back on serve at 5-6 before sending a forehand return into the net on set ball.

“I felt like I really tried to go for my serves, not hold back, but play smart obviously and work the points by really playing to win and really going for my shots,” Shapovalov said. “I got a little bit lucky with some good passes and I was able to serve really (well) in that tiebreak.”

Shapovalov took control by winning the first three games of the second set. He converted an overhead smash on match point to lock up the biggest title of his career.

Shapovalov will rise 22 positions to No. 32 when the updated world rankings are released. It will be his highest position since September 2023.

Shapovalov is the first player in six years to secure wins over three top-10 players in a single ATP 250 or 500 event. Nick Kyrgios was the last to do so in Acapulco in 2019, when he beat Rafael Nadal, John Isner and Alexander Zverev.

“You have to play aggressively — especially me,” Shapovalov said. “I feel like that’s where I excel and that’s where I’m able to play my best tennis. I’m happy that I’ve been able to do it consistently over a few matches this week.”

“It’s definitely not easy to keep that up against tough opponents. It’s definitely a great title for me.”

A former top-10 player, Shapovalov battled injuries over the last few seasons and at one point slipped all the way down to No. 140. He pulled out of Canada’s recent Davis Cup qualifier tie against Hungary due to a back injury.

“I definitely feel very beat up,” he said. “It has been a tough week, especially playing a lot of late matches. It puts more stress on the body for sure.”

All three of his ATP Tour titles have been on indoor hard courts. He also won in Stockholm in 2019 and in Belgrade last year.

It was Shapovalov’s first win against Ruud in three head-to-head matchups.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2025.