Denis Shapovalov learns punishment appeal verdict after controversial default

Ewan West
Denis Shapovalov reacts during his match with Ben Shelton in Washington
Denis Shapovalov reacts during his match with Ben Shelton in Washington

Denis Shapovalov has learned the outcome of his appeal to the ATP over the punishment he received for his controversial default at the Citi DC Open in Washington.

Under ATP Tour rules, players automatically lose all the ranking points and prize money they earned during a tournament if they are disqualified from a match.

Shapovalov was facing this fate after being defaulted in his quarter-final contest against Ben Shelton in Washington for a clash with a member of the crowd.

Following his appeal, however, Shapovalov has been allowed to keep the $53,240 and 100 ranking points he gained for reaching the last eight at the ATP 500 event.

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The Canadian was trailing 3-6 in the second set tiebreak and facing three match points when he apparently swore at a spectator who had said something to him.

Shapovalov was disqualified for the incident after the umpire called the supervisor to the court, and he then appeared to say “I’ve worked hard all my life, f**k you” to the supervisor.

A statement from the ATP read: “ATP has reviewed an appeal from Denis Shapovalov following his default from the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Washington.

“The fines committee has affirmed that officials followed correct procedures in defaulting the player.

“However, the committee has concluded that loss of rankings points and prize money, which is automatically applied in the case of a default, would be a disproportionate penalty in this case.

“Shapovalov therefore retains quarter-final points and prize money, with a fine of $36,400 (£28,500) applied for the code violation.”

Shapovalov will now turn his attention to a significant tournament on home soil, the ATP Masters 1000 in Montreal, which will begin on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old has received a wildcard into the main draw of the event and will face a qualifier in the opening round, before a potential second round meeting with Tommy Paul or Luciano Darderi.

The Canadian, who is a former world No 10, is currently ranked 106th in the world, having climbed 33 spots for his run in Washington.

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