LONDON: Canadian Denis Shapovalov stormed to a five-set victory over Karen Khachanov to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, his deepest run at a Grand Slam tournament.

The stylish 22-year-old left-hander's quarter-final was in jeopardy when he trailed by two sets to one against, but he came back to win 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

Shapovalov, who knocked off two-time champion Andy Murray in the third round, will face defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic in the semi-final, attempting to become only the second Canadian man to reach a Grand Slam final.

"Obviously, he is the top player in the world, but I believe everything is possible, and when the match begins, the scoreboard will read zero-zero," the popular Shapovalov, who will be backed by a raucous crowd, said on court.

Both the 10th seed Shapovalov and the 25th seed Khachanov were playing in a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time, and they provided an outstanding performance on a packed No. 1 Court.

Shapovalov continued the form he showed in a fourth-round thrashing of Spaniard Robert Bautista Agut into his second career meeting with Khachanov, taking the first set with a single break of serve in the ninth game.

However, rock-solid Russia Khachanov replied by going up 4-0 in the second game, and when Shapovalov regained focus, it was too late to salvage the set.

A high-quality third set featured a tough battle for domination, with Khachanov capitalizing on a Shapovalov mistake to break serve at 5-5, then saving a break opportunity in the next game before sealing the set as Shapovalov rocketed a forehand long.

Shapovalov's game may have unraveled in the past, but he is made of tougher stuff now, and he returned to work in a remarkable manner, hitting a purple patch in a commanding fourth set.

As the match entered the final set, Khachanov, 25, appeared to be feeling the pace after also going the distance in his previous match against American Sebastian Korda.

But he remained a powerful presence, grimly attempting to scramble out of a hole when he dropped 0-40 down on serve at 2-2.

Shapovalov only dropped four points on his serve in the fourth set, allowing him to play more expansively on his return games, and he heaped on the pressure again at 4-4.

When three more break points went begging, his irritation grew, but he kept pounding on the door until Khachanov couldn't take it any longer, hitting a tired-looking forehand over the baseline on a fourth.

Shapovalov overcame a nervous double-fault and brought up two match points with a fizzing forehand winner, before securing victory when Khachanov crashed a backhand into the net.

"It was quite difficult, especially not converting 0-40 in the fifth set," Shapovalov remarked. "In the fifth, I told myself, play every point as hard as you can."

"Luck was on my side, but Karen had a terrific week, and we both deserved it today."

Shapovalov, who racked up 59 wins in a gutsy display, probably deserved it a little more, as he advanced one round further than at last year's U.S. Open.

A difficult challenge awaits him, but with his game in top form, he will give five-time winner Djokovic enough to think about.

"He also makes a lot of unforced errors," Khachanov said. "But that's why I think he's a challenging guy to play because, especially on grass, when he pulls the trigger, he can make it."

Courtesy: Edited by SportsAction / Inputs - Agency