CANADA'S SHAPOVALOV TO FACE NADAL IN AUSTRALIAN OPEN AFTER UPSETTING WORLD NO. 3 ZVEREV.

By Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada: As the 2022 Australian Open began, Denis Shapovalov talked about wanting to bring the "Rafa mentality" to the court.

Now that he's reached the quarter-finals Down Under for the first time in his career after a 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 dismantling of world No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the round of 16 Sunday, he will get to test out that new mantra against the man who created it.

The 22-year-old Canadian will face 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal on Tuesday, with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

Shapovalov is the third Canadian to reach the final eight in Melbourne. He joins Milos Raonic (who has gone at least that far on five occasions) and Mike Belkin, who reached the quarter-finals in 1968 — the first year of tennis's open era.