ATP Tour

Shapovalov completes perfect week, lifts Los Cabos crown

Denis Shapovalov captured his fourth ATP Tour title and second of the season on Saturday night at the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo in Los Cabos, where he defeated American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-2.

Shapovalov had not dropped more than three games in a set en route to his ninth tour-level final and the Canadian was once again dominant in the title match. In his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Kovacevic, Shapovalov won 81 per cent of his first-serve points, saved the one break point he faced and struck 15 winners, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to triumph after 75 minutes.

“We have been working for quite a few years now and it hasn’t been easy coming back from injury. But all the work we’ve done, it is really paying off," Shapovalov said.

🏆 sealed with an ace!@Denis_Shapo | @MifelTennisOpen | #LosCabosTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/XCf6porG8I

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 20, 2025

The 26-year-old is up five spots to No. 28 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Shapovalov was forced to shut down his 2023 season after Wimbledon, where he suffered a knee injury. Last year, he fell to as low as No. 140 in the PIF ATP Rankings but has worked his way back up in the past 10 months.

In February, Shapovalov clinched the title in Dallas. It was his third tour-level trophy on indoor hard courts, having won in Stockholm in 2019 and Belgrade at the end of 2024. On the outdoor hard courts at the ATP 250 in Los Cabos, Shapovalov brushed aside Govind Nanda, Tristan Schoolkate, Adam Walton and Kovacevic.

The third seed is the sixth player to win multiple tour-level titles in 2025, while he is just the fourth player – alongside Ugo Humbert, Taylor Fritz and Tallon Griekspoor – to capture a trophy this season without dropping a set.

Kovacevic upset World No. 10 Andrey Rublev to reach his second ATP Tour final. The 26-year-old American was aiming to lift his maiden trophy and become the eighth first-time champion this season. The seventh seed is up 10 places to No. 66 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will climb to a career high on Monday.

“I want to congratulate Aleksandar on an amazing week," Shapovalov added. "He beat some great players. Honestly, I didn’t watch the match [vs. Rublev] yesterday, but my coach told me you played insane, so, congrats on an amazing week. I think you are an amazing player. I love your game. Obviously, us one-handed backhand [players], we gotta stick together. Definitely love watching you play."

Did You Know?
Shapovalov's meeting with Kovacevic was the first tour-level final featuring two players with a one-handed backhand since the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals title match between Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas.