WATCH: Bizarre moment as Denis Shapovalov gets taste of his own medicine in Dallas against Taylor Fritz

Denis Shapovalov got a taste of his own medicine at the 2025 Dallas Open when he hit a ball at the hoarding, only for it to ricochet and strike him in the face. The bizarre moment took place during the Canadian's round of 16 clash against top seed Taylor Fritz on Friday, February 07.

The match was evenly poised in the third set at 1-1 with both players having won a set each. The American was serving and led 30-15 in the third game when a frustrated Shapovalov hit the ball at the hoarding.

However, much to the Canadian's surprise, the ball ended up bouncing off the board and hit him straight in the face. A visibly stunned Denis Shapovalov broke into a sheepish grin before laughing it off to continue the match.

Here is the video of the incident:

The World No. 54 did not let the incident affect his match as he went on to cause a massive upset by beating Taylor Fritz in the third-set tie-break. The Canadian played some incredible tennis, broke early into the tie-break, and held onto that advantage as he won it 7-2 to clinch an impressive 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) victory.

Interestingly, this was also Denis Shapovalov's first win over a top-10-ranked opponent since beating Taylor Fritz en route to the 2022 Vienna final.

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Denis Shapovalov reflects on incredible win against Taylor Fritz

Denis Shapovalov reacts after winning a point against Taylor Fritz at the Dallas Open 2025. Source: Getty

Denis Shapovalov had a below-par start to the season after his early exits at the Adelaide International and Australian Open. The 25-year-old lost in straight sets to Marcos Giron in the Round of 16 at the Adelaide International and later lost a tight three-setter to Lorenzo Musetti in the second round of the 2025 Australian Open.

Hence, the win over Taylor Fritz came as a massive relief for the former World No. 10, who said:

“It feels incredible obviously. Taylor is a super tough opponent… He came out super solid and I came out a little sluggish. It was difficult. I’m definitely happy with my fight. I’m happy I was able to turn it around in the second set and I was able to keep that momentum going," he told the ATP Tour.

Shapovalov will hope to keep his winning run going when he takes on sixth seed Tomas Machac in the quarterfinals of the Dallas Open on Saturday, February 08.