Fiery Shapovalov comes untied late in loss to Jodar, calls out Spaniard

Denis Shapovalov was upset about Rafael Jodar's shoelaces. Then, he came unwound all on his own.

The Canadian blew a 5-1 third-set lead to the young Spaniard on Saturday in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, eventually falling 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.

Shapovalov had two match points in the final set but was unable to convert on either as he dropped six straight games to close out the loss. He also held a late break in the first set but gave it back at 5-5.

The 48th-ranked Richmond Hill, Ont., native was coming of a first-round exit at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.

With Shapovalov leading 5-3 in the third set, Jodar's shoelaces broke for the second time in the match, requiring proceedings to pause as he relaced them.

"You're also drinking water," Shapovalov said as he walked by the 19-year-old Jodar, seemingly insinuating that he was using the shoelaces as an excuse to recharge in critical points of the match.

Jodar, the 12th seed, will face 22nd-seeded Alejandro Tabilo of Chile in the Round of 32 on Monday.