Safiullin Steers Past Shapovalov, Extends Dream Wimbledon Run

Roman Safiullin became the first man to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on event debut since 2014 on Sunday when the World No. 92 moved past Denis Shapovalov at the All England Club.

Safiullin prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 against the 26th-seeded Canadian on No. 2 Court to reach the last eight of a major for the first time. The 25-year-old broke Shapovalov’s serve five times across the final three sets to wrap a two-hour, 11-minute triumph and advance to face Jannik Sinner or Daniel Elahi Galan.

Before Safiullin, the most recent player to reach the SW19 quarter-finals at the first attempt was Nick Kyrgios, who famously defeated then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the fourth round in 2014. Safiullin may not be the only player to manage the feat this year: his fellow main-draw debutant Christopher Eubanks takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round on Monday.

More to follow…