Denis Shapovalov is enjoying the transition to hard-court tennis.
The Canadian, seeded third, advanced to the final of the Mifel Tennis Open with a 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 8 seed Adam Walton of Australia on Friday in Los Cabos, Mexico.
This is the first event of the summer hard-court season for Shapovalov, who capped a rough grass-court campaign with a first-round loss at Wimbledon.
“It definitely helps my confidence, it helps my belief a little bit,” Shapovalov told reporters after the match. “I came into the tournament not trying to focus on results too much, just trying to focus on getting back to my game offensively, trying to go for it.
Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., is looking for his second tournament title of 2025 after winning on at the indoor hard-court Dallas Open in February. All three of his career ATP Tour titles have come on indoor hard-courts.
On Friday, Shapovalov saved all four break points he faced, while converting on all four of his break-point opportunities.
Shapovalov, 26, will face the winner of a semifinal between No. 1 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia and No. 7 seed Aleksandar Kovacevic of the U.S. in Saturday’s final.
The Canadian is projected to jump back into the top 30 next week after starting this tournament as world No. 33.
It’s a nice boost for Shapovalov heading into his hometown National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, which starts next weekend in Toronto.
— with files from The Canadian Press.
