Denis Shapovalov's run comes to an end as Pablo Carreno Busta emerges from the shadows to reach last eight

The Spaniard clinched three straight tie-breaks to see off the rapidly rising Canadian

Pablo Carreno Busta celebrates reaching the US Open quarter-finals (Getty)

The spotlight has never been on Pablo Carreno Busta as it has been here at the US Open but the 26-year-old Spaniard came through his latest test in emphatic style. The highest ranked player left in the bottom half of the draw barely put a foot wrong in beating Denis Shapovalov 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday to secure his place in the quarter-finals.

“It’s amazing,” he said afterwards. “It’s the first time I’ve played singles on this court. The atmosphere is unbelievable. It’s really different to the other courts. I can’t describe it.”

Being a tennis player in the era of Rafael Nadal – not to mention David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco and a host of other successful Spaniards – has meant that Carreno Busta has flown under the radar for most of his career, but the world No 19 has won three titles in the last 12 months and has also started to make his mark at Grand Slam level.

Having reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at this summer’s French Open, where he won his first match against a top 10 opponent at the 17th attempt when he beat Milos Raonic, Carreno Busta has been thrust into the limelight here in the absence of some more illustrious names. After the withdrawal of Andy Murray, the three players in the bottom half of the draw who were ranked above him – Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – were all out by the end of the second round.

The fact that Carreno Busta was playing the world No 69 in the fourth round might have suggested that his own section of the draw had opened up nicely, but Shapovalov has emerged this summer as an outstanding talent. The 18-year-old Canadian beat Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro in reaching the semi-finals of last month’s Montreal Masters, won three matches in qualifying to reach the main draw here and proceeded to beat Daniil Medvedev, Tsonga and Kyle Edmund to earn his place in the last 16.

With his explosive style, attacking game and outgoing character, Shapovalov has quickly become a favourite with the fans. John McEnroe, commentating on Eurosport, said the Canadian reminded him of himself at the same age. “He’s awesome, he’s learning quickly, he believes in himself,” McEnroe said. “It’s amazing to watch yourself in the mirror. He’s the way I would play now if I was 18.”

Tournament organisers must be congratulating themselves on having installed a retractable cover over the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium. It had been raining almost solidly since the previous evening and the roof was closed for the start of play.

Carreno Busta was able to pin Shapovalov back with his powerful forehand (Getty)

Shapovalov was aggressive from the start. The Canadian loves to go for his shots and is not afraid to attack the net when the opportunity presents itself. He hit more winners (54 to Carreno Busta’s 25) and made more unforced errors (55 to his opponent’s 29).

For all his exciting talent, however, Shapovalov needs to learn when to go for his shots and when to bide his time. On the key points in particular he can pull the trigger too early. Carreno Busta, in contrast, chose his moments when to attack, though his heavy ball-striking regularly drove Shapovalov back. The difference between the two men was summed up by the three tie-breaks, in each of which Carreno Busta was as solid as a rock, while Shapovalov was too impetuous.

Carreno Busta saved two break points in his opening service game with unreturned serves, but at 2-3 the Spaniard was broken as Shapovalov hit some blockbuster returns. Shapovalov served for the set at 5-3, but it was then Carreno Busta’s turn to go for broke. At 15-40 the world No 19 cracked a thunderbolt forehand down the line to level at 5-5.

At 5-6 Carreno Busta had his back against the wall again but saved three set points, one of them after a 25-shot rally, which was the longest of the match thus far. Having held for 6-6 with three successive service winners, he then played a superb tie-break, winning it 7-2 after repeatedly putting Shapovalov under pressure.

The Spaniard will face either Diego Schwartzman or Lucas Pouille in the next round (Getty)

Carreno Busta broke in the fourth game of the second set but Shapovalov came roaring back as the Spaniard served at 5-3. After going 0-40 down Carreno Busta saved the first two break points, the second of them with an inside-out forehand winner at the end of a pulsating 21-stroke rally, before Shapovalov converted the third with a smash.

The set went to another tie-break, which followed a similar pattern to the first, with Carreno Busta striking the ball with ruthless consistency and Shapovalov too impulsive. The Canadian went 6-3 down after two successive unforced errors and Carreno Busta converted the second of his set points when Shapovalov could not handle a thumping forehand return.

Shapovalov saved two break points in the opening game of the third set but held on, broke serve himself and was soon 3-0 up. However, Carreno Busta broke back in the fifth game, Shapovalov double-faulting on break point, and the set went to a third tie-break.

After double-faulting on the first point, Shapovalov was soon 4-0 down. The Canadian kept going for too much and Carreno Busta eventually took the tie-break 7-3, converting his third match point with a service winner after nearly three hours. As Shapovalov left the court he milked the crowd’s prolonged applause. He will be back for sure.

Shapovalov soaked up the applause as he left the court (Getty)

Carreno Busta said afterwards: “I just tried to fight all the time. Every point was important for me. You never know when your opponent is going to drop a little bit or make a mistake, so I just try to fight all the time.”

In the quarter-finals Carreno Busta will meet the winner of the fourth-round meeting between Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman and France’s Lucas Pouille, which was one of several matches being held up by Sunday’s bad weather.

Carreno Busta has never played either man before. “I hope it will be a fun match,” he said. “Both players are really good. I will watch their match and enjoy it because I’m in the quarter-finals. We’ll think about this match tomorrow.”