Denis Shapovalov never wavered from his high level. But, the A-game he brought to the Dallas Open has earned him a perfect week. The Canadian sensation capped his dream singles campaign at the newly upgraded ATP 500 indoor hard-court event by clinching the title, and his third top-10 win in the last four days. Not only did he lift his biggest career title on Monday, February 10, but he became the first player after Australian Nick Kyrgios to achieve an incredible feat. And this triumph didn’t go unnoticed by the controversial Aussie.

At just 25 years old, Shapovalov has already accomplished a lot in his career. He is a Wimbledon semifinalist and a quarterfinalist at both the Australian Open and the US Open. He even reached the top 10 in ranking, peaking at No. 10 in 2020. His achievements aside, what he did in Dallas trumps every milestone there is. The Canadian star smoked three top 10 players en route to the third ATP title finish – in just four days.

He outhit No. 4-ranked Taylor Fritz in the second round, and No. 9-ranked Tommy Paul in the last four and for his final act, he downed No. 5-ranked Casper Ruud in the summit clash. It only gets better. Shapovalov hadn’t outperformed any top 10 rivals in 833 days before clashing against Fritz in R2. Coincidentally, his last recorded top-10 win came against the American superstar in the second round of the Vienna Open on October 16th, 2022. Seeing as he registered his last six sets win against the elite this past week, displacing all the top 10 opponents in straight sets, Kyrgios took to X to congratulate him, for reasons more than one.

Before Shapovalov’s feat, Aussie Kyrgios remained the only player to achieve such a demanding path to the ATP 500 title finish. The former Wimbledon finalist, in 2019, outclassed then-top 10 competitors Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, and John Isner to lift the Mexican Open crown in Acapulco. Naturally, he took notice of the Canadian leveling his record and responded to the latest update with a shoutout to Shapovalov. “Well done bro! DOPE STAT,” he wrote.

Not bad for a player who wasn’t even sure he’d be able to continue his career following a brutal knee injury last year. He was forced to shut down his 2023 season after Wimbledon when he sustained the career-threat. His well-deserved comeback is nothing short of commendable.

Shapovalov entered the week with an 11-33 record against the top 10, so naturally, he was ecstatic with his Dallas victory.

Denis Shapovalov is ‘happy’ looking at his game regain potential on the ATP

Canadian Denis Shapovalov fell to the ground in utter disbelief and joy after producing a volley-smash on his match point against Norwegian Casper Ruud. He won the showcase in straight sets, 7-6(5), 6-3, and later, reserved a few words to summarize his performance from the week.

During a conversation with the press, the 25-year-old told the reporters: “I do think the win against Taylor gave me a lot of confidence, especially the way I was able to play in the second and third set. It really gave me that belief that I’m able to beat these guys again. It’s been very, very difficult. There were a lot of times where I didn’t know if I was going to step back onto the tennis court, if I was even going to come back at all.”

He continued, “Everyone put in so much work and so much sacrifice to not even get me back to the level, but even just to get me back to the court. It’s incredible to be playing the way that I am. I’m definitely very happy to feel like my game is coming back.”

Following his win, Shapovalov will rise to No. 32 in ranking, notably his highest position since September 2023. They say tough times don’t last, but tough players do, and Shapovalov’s dream run in Dallas has now even clipped a shoutout from Kyrgios to seal the deal. Could this be the start of his best season yet? Let us know your thoughts!