Qualifier Kopriva upsets Shapovalov in Gstaad

The unheralded Czech came from behind to beat the world No 10 in the second round of the Swiss Open

Vit Kopriva ZM / Panoramic

July 22, 2021

Remember the name: Vit Kopriva.

The world No 249 from the Czech Republic, a qualifier into the main draw in Gstaad, produced a performance he would hardly have dreamed of on Thursday as he beat world No 10 Denis Shapovalov 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round of the Swiss Open.

THIS is how you make your ATP Tour debut! 😮

🇨🇿 Vit Kopriva, No. 249 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, stuns World No. 10 Shapovalov 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Gstaad.

🎥: @TennisTV | @SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/nLZUgAd9Ku
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 22, 2021

The 24-year-old has spent most of his career on the lower rungs of the ladder, notably on the Challenger Tour, but served notice of his ability with a win over Benoit Paire earlier in the season.

But his victory over Shapovalov, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon, was by far the biggest win of his career. The Canadian had decided to miss the Olympics because he is trying to stay out of the Covid-19 bubbles as much as he can, but his decision backfired as he was well beaten.

Kopriva’s reward is a quarter-final clash with Mikael Ymer of Sweden.