Hurkacz rallies past Shapovalov to reach first final of 2026 in Chengdu

Hubert Hurkacz reached his first final of the 2026 season on Monday, recovering to beat Denis Shapovalov 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-3 in the Chengdu Open semi-finals. Tennis Now reported that the victory put the Polish player into his 13th career final and his first since Geneva in 2025.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJEe3KZ2vL4

Shapovalov took the opening set after both players held serve without facing a break point. According to Tennis Canada's match report, the Canadian led the tiebreak 6-4 but could not convert either of those set points. He then saved a set point himself before eventually securing the opener on his fourth opportunity, winning the tiebreak 10-8.

Hurkacz responded by breaking for a 2-1 lead in the second set and consolidating with a service hold to love. Shapovalov could not recover the deficit, and Hurkacz broke again to level the match. Tennis Canada reported that Hurkacz converted three of his five break-point opportunities across the second and third sets, reversing the direction of the contest after losing the opener.

The Canadian's best chance to regain control came at 1-1 in the deciding set, when he moved to 0-40 on Hurkacz's serve. All three opportunities slipped away. Hurkacz subsequently broke for a 4-2 lead and protected that advantage, closing out the match on his first match point. Shapovalov finished without a service break.

Tennis Now reported that Hurkacz won 85 percent of points behind his first serve and landed 64 percent of his first deliveries. The result also extended his advantage in meetings with Shapovalov to six wins from seven matches. The 29-year-old's next final offers a chance to add a ninth tour-level singles title to his career record.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina secured the other place in the final by defeating qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The second-seeded Spaniard also had to overturn a one-set deficit to advance. Tennis Now noted that Davidovich Fokina won his first tour-level title in Mallorca in June; his Chengdu victory earned him a seventh career final and an opportunity to claim a second trophy.