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Is Denis Shapovalov returning to top form?

The Canadian is enjoying what appears to be a breakthrough week at the Dallas Open.

Shapovalov, the world No. 54, beat No. 6 seed Tomas Machac of Czechia 7-6 (5), 6-0 in the quarterfinals on Friday night.

The win came on the heels of a major upset against top seed and world No. 4 Taylor Fritz of the U.S.

“It’s incredible to be playing the way I am,” Shapovalov told reporters after Friday’s win. “I’m definitely very happy to feel like my game is coming back and physically, I’m getting better.”

Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., will get a chance to knock out a third seeded player in a row on Saturday when he battles No. 3 seed Tommy Paul. The American is ranked ninth in the world and is the defending champ at this event.

After fighting back from an early break Friday, Shapovalov edged Machac in the first-set tiebreak before making quick work of his opponent in the second set.

Ranked a career-best 10th in 2020, Shapovalov has tumbled down the rankings in recent years while battling a string of injuries. He started to make a move back up late last year, winning the Serbia Open in November.

The 25-year-old Canadian was just 2-3 in the 2025 season before winning three matches in Dallas at the ATP Tour 500, indoor hard-court event this week.

“It’s been very, very difficult,” Shapaovalov said. “There was lot of times where i didn’t know if I was going to step back on the tennis court, if I was even going to come back at all. There was a lot of tough days.”

Shapovalov said his ultimate goal is to return to the top 10.

Paul is 2-1 lifetime against Shapovalov, though the Canadian won the last match in 2022 on an outdoor hard-court in Cincinnati. All three of their matches have gone the maximum three sets.

The unseeded Jaume Munar of Spain faces No. 2 seed Casper Ruud of Norway in the other semifinal.