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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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NEW YORK – Denis Shapovalov will record another milestone on Wednesday night when he takes the court at the biggest tennis stadium in the world. The teenager will face No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second match of the evening session at Arthur Ashe Stadium (capacity 23,771).

The match should start at around 9pm et/6pm pt, with live coverage on TSN1/3/4.

The fact that US Open organizers are giving Shapovalov such a prestigious court assignment as well as the prime time slot is yet further evidence of how much the Canadian has captivated the tennis world of late.

So far this summer, Shapovalov has:

* Upset No. 47 Kyle Edmund at the Aegon Championships before bowing out in a tight three-setter against No. 14 Tomas Berdych;
* Made his grand slam main draw debut as a wild card at Wimbledon, losing a tight match against Jerzy Janowicz;
* Won a Challenger title in Gatineau;
* Made the semi-finals at a Challenger in Granby;
* Became the youngest ever semi-finalist at a Masters 1,000 event beating, among others, Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal in Montreal;
* Been picked by captain John McEnroe to be on the World Team at the inaugural Laver Cup, an international event modelled after golf's Ryder Cup that will feature Roger Federer and Nadal;
* Qualified for the US Open by winning three matches;
* Won his first career grand slam main draw match in straight sets on Monday;

Empty seats have been hard to come by during Shapovalov's matches in New York so far and the phenom has been surprised by the intensity of the support.

"The environment has been pretty crazy all week," Shapovalov said during a post-match news conference. "It's been a lot of fun to play under these conditions. I didn't expect to be in the States and have so many supporters coming out. It's so much fun to be on the court under these conditions.

"Like I said before in Montreal, the crowd really helps me play my best tennis. They helped me out again today. So I'm very thankful to have them. Hopefully they come and support some more."

It's not just that Shapovalov is winning, it's how he's doing it that's earning him a lot of fans.

"His style is so elegant for a player his age," said Wall Street Journal reporter Tom Perrotta. "It's really amazing to be that young and hit that smooth. His backhand is gorgeous. He's left-handed, which is kind of fun to watch. And he really gets excited out there, too. When he hits a shot there's a good amount of energy."

"He's very fun to watch," agreed Patrick Mouratoglou, who coaches Serena Williams and runs a successful academy. "He has a big game, incredible power and he (slaps hand) just plays. He reminds me of (Alexandr) Dolgopolov a little bit, jumping everywhere, super into the shots, which I like. I think he can be much better than Dolgopolov (career high of No. 13), but there is something in common between those two ... I also like how he's able to lift his level. Not everyone has that."

There's a sense that Shapovalov has a real chance of pulling off yet another upset on Wednesday. He has shown he can handle the nerves associated with playing a big-name player. And while Shapovalov has won 16 of his last 18 matches, Tsonga has struggled a bit of late. The 32-year-old lost his first match in both Montreal (vs.  No. 20 Sam Querrey) and Cincinnati (vs. No. 44 Ivo Karlovic) before posting a straight sets win over No. 87 Marius Copil in his first round US Open match on Monday.  

"Jo has been on the tour forever," Shapovalov noted. "I grew up watching him play, just like I did with Rafa and DelPo. It's a match I'm going in with nothing to lose. Obviously, the pressure is more on him. Yeah, I'm just hoping to have a good fight, a good match. It's going to be very tough. He's an incredible player. He's achieved so much in his career. It's going to be a good test for me once again."

As for any specific strategy ideas?

"Obviously, he has a huge forehand, very solid backhand," Shapovalov said. "I think I'm going to have to pressure the backhand a little bit more, come in on him a lot, just try to dictate before he has a chance to."

By beating Daniil Medvedev on Monday, Shapovalov is now projected to rise seven spots to No. 62 in the next ATP rankings. By beating Tsonga, he could rise as high as No. 55.