Zverev's incredibly classy gesture for beaten Shapovalov
Alexander Zverev has been praised for a brilliant act of sportsmanship after ending Denis Shapovalov's giant-killing run in Montreal.
18-year-old Canadian Shapovalova shocked the tennis world when he beat World No.2 Rafael Nadal in the third round, before becoming the youngest player in history to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final.
He also knocked off former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, capturing the imagination of his home fans at the Rogers Cup.
However his incredible run came to an end at the hands of fellow young gun Zverev on Sunday, the German prevailing 6-4, 7-5 to set up a showdown with Roger Federer in the decider.
But despite his excitement at making the final, 20-year-old Zverev made sure to congratulate his opponent on his remarkable week before celebrating himself.
As he stood in the middle of the court after his win, Zverev soaked up the applause of the crowd before pointing at the departing Shapovalov and clapping him off court, directing the fans' applause at their hometown hero in the process.
The gesture was only small, but says a lot about the future superstar.
Fans noticed the classy display and took to social media to laud Zverev.
Lovely sportsmanship between the two kids #Zverev #Shapovalov
— RF19🎾 (@VolleyMePlease) August 13, 2017
Great sportsmanship of #Zverev to applaud #Shapovalov like that. That was an AMAZING match & run @denis_shapo. 🇨🇦 is proud! #CoupeRogers
— Kiki (@bookwormkiki) August 13, 2017
Beautiful classy lovely to see such respect between 2 brilliant young players
— Lydia Winwright (@LWinwright) August 13, 2017