Top seed Denis Shapovalov’s Queens Club run ends in the second round after Alex de Minaur beats him 6-4, 6-1 at the HSBC Championships. Shapovalov’s struggles continue as he’s broken five times, commits nine double-faults, and has now lost six of his last seve
Denis Shapovalov walked into Wednesday’s second-round meeting at Queen’s Club with momentum that never quite arrived—and by the time the scoreline settled at 6-4, 6-1, it felt like the match had already decided itself.
Alex de Minaur, the top seed at the ATP 500 grass-court event at West London’s Queen’s Club, put his serve-and-structure dominance on full display. He sent Shapovalov out of the HSBC Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 win at the Andy Murray Arena, improving to 6-0 against the Canadian on the ATP Tour.
The backdrop made it sting a little more for Shapovalov. His last win over de Minaur came nine years ago and roughly 18 kilometres away, when he beat the Australian in the final round of qualifying for the Challenger-level Surbiton Trophy.
On Wednesday, Shapovalov had chances and flashes. He outpaced de Minaur in winners, producing 16 compared with nine. But the scoreboard doesn’t reward clean intentions when the margins collapse—and Shapovalov’s problems showed up in the unforced moments. He fired nine double-faults, surrendered breaks five times on 11 opportunities, and his rhythm kept slipping at the crucial intervals.
De Minaur’s own numbers reflected the control. He saved three of four break points and made 11 unforced errors, while Shapovalov piled up 29.
The result adds another hard chapter to a difficult stretch. Shapovalov has dropped six of his last seven singles matches, carrying a 9-13 record this year, and Wednesday only underlined how quickly this season has turned on him.
De Minaur, who began the week by defeating Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo in the first round, will now turn his attention to his next opponent: Brandon Nakashima of the United States.
Denis Shapovalov Alex de Minaur Queen's Club HSBC Championships ATP 500 Andy Murray Arena grass court tennis Brandon Nakashima Gabriel Diallo