Canada's Shapovalov wins Dallas Open to claim biggest title of career

Canada's Denis Shapovalov captured the biggest title of his career Sunday, defeating World No. 5 Casper Ruud to win the Dallas Open.

Shapovalov, who fired 13 aces en route to a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory at the ATP 500 event, now has three tour-level titles, all on indoor hard courts.

"There's a lot to be happy about," the 25-year-old said. "Of course it's the biggest title of my career. I had a good chance against (Daniil) Medvedev a couple years ago (in Vienna in 2022), but he played a terrific match after losing the first. I'm really happy to stay strong this time and get the win."

Sunday's victory caps an outstanding week for Shapovalov, who also defeated top-10 players Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in Dallas. Fritz, Ruud, and Paul were the top three seeds in the tournament. Entering the event, Shapovalov had a career record of 11-33 against opponents inside the top 10.

Shapovalov will now rise to No. 32 in the ATP rankings, his highest position since 2023. A three-time major quarterfinalist who broke into the top 10 early in his career, Shapovalov's ascent was derailed by a 2023 knee injury.

His subsequent struggles saw him fall all the way to No. 140 last year.

Prior to his opening match of the tournament in Dallas, the hard-serving left-hander told theScore that he's focusing on his "own journey" as he tries to work his way back to the upper echelons of the sport.

"There were a lot of tough days and a lot of moments where I doubted that I'll ever be able to return to the court pain-free," the Canadian said during a virtual media availability with reporters.

After an "emotional" triumph at the Belgrade Open in November, Shapovalov continued to turn the corner in Dallas, culminating in his first-ever win over Ruud in Sunday's final.