Denis Shapovalov took to social media to express his disappointment at a poor line call on his serve during his last-16 match at the Geneva Open.
Shapovalov was a wild card entrant at the ATP 250 event in Switzerland this week, the last stop on the road to Roland Garros. The packed field also included top names like Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, and former World No. 1 Andy Murray.
Besides Ruud, who remains in contention for a third title in Geneva on Saturday, most of the top-ranked players in the draw fell like flies, with World No. 1 Djokovic the biggest casualty after losing to Tomas Machac in the first semifinal on Friday.
But during the second round, controversy swept over Shapovalov's match against Tallon Griekspoor. The Canadian looked home and dried when he led 7-6, 3-0 before the Dutchman fought back.
Due to rain, the match could not be completed on Wednesday and was postponed until Thursday. On resumption, Shapovalov lost all his momentum as Griekspoor turned the score around to win 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 in two hours and 23 minutes.
After the match, Shapovalov shared a graphic on X (formerly Twitter) of a crucial point that presumably changed the course of the match. In the second game of the third set, Shapovalov was serving to level at 1-1. Leading 40-30, he fired a certain ace, and the ball looked well in, on the photo he shared.
But not according to the umpire Eva Asderaki. Shapovalov was then taken to deuce after a second serve before he was broken. Griekspoor consolidated that momentum to prevail 6-3.
It was the 13th defeat of Shapovalov's comeback season. The former World No. 10 will now head to Paris to compete at Roland Garros with a protected ranking. He drew France's Luca Van Assche in the first round.
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