NEW YORK (Reuters) – Denis Shapovalov was twice forced to come from behind to beat Kwon Soon-woo 6-7(5) 6-4 6-4 6-2 and secure a place in the third round of the U.S. Open for a fourth straight year on Wednesday.
The 12th seed was in all sorts of trouble against the unheralded South Korean on Louis Armstrong Stadium, losing the first set in an error-strewn tiebreak and going 4-2 down in the third after levelling up the contest.
The 21-year-old Canadian broke back for 4-3 and called a medical timeout to have some treatment on his hip area before storming to victory by winning 10 of the last 12 games.
Shapovalov, who went out to Kevin Anderson and Gael Monfils in five-set thrillers in the third round on his last two visits to Flushing Meadows, will next face American Taylor Fritz.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates)
