Canadian Open 2022: Denis Shapovalov vs Alex de Minaur preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Denis Shapovalov vs Alex de Minaur.
Tournament: Canadian Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 64).
Venue: Montreal, Canada.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $5,926,545.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports 18.
Denis Shapovalov vs Alex de Minaur preview
Home favorite Denis Shapovalov will lock horns with Alex de Minaur in the first round of the 2022 Canadian Open.
Shapovalov started the year on a strong note, but has been going through a rough patch over the last few months. He won three of his four matches to lead Canada to their maiden ATP Cup title. At the Australian Open, he gave Rafael Nadal quite the scare before going down in five sets.
Following his semifinal showing in Dubai, Shapovalov suffered a couple of early exits from his subsequent tournaments. He ended his string of poor results by reaching the quarterfinals of the Italian Open, even knocking out Nadal in the third round. But it wasn't a return to form for the 23-year old.
Shapovalov lost in the first round of his next five tournaments. He snapped his losing streak at Wimbledon, winning against Arthur Rinderknech in the opening round. The Canadian lost to Brandon Nakashima in the next round.
Shapovalov then returned to action at the Citi Open. After a first-round bye, he was defeated by J.J. Wolf in three sets.
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Alex de Minaur, meanwhile, has strung together a pretty good season this year. He reached the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time. He had a decent Middle East swing too, reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals in Doha and Dubai respectively.
De Minaur then made it to the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters and lost a round earlier in Miami. He had a decent clay swing, but lost in the first round of the French Open. The 23-year-old did better on grass, reaching the semifinals at Eastbourne and the fourth round of Wimbledon.
De Minaur won his first title of the season at the Atlanta Open. However, he was unable to carry the momentum with him. He lost to Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round of the Citi Open, despite holding a match point.
Denis Shapovalov vs Alex de Minaur head-to-head
De Minaur leads Shapovalov 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2020 ATP Cup in three sets.
Denis Shapovalov vs Alex de Minaur odds
Odds will be added once they're available.
Denis Shapovalov vs Alex de Minaur prediction
Shapovalov's downward spiral has become a cause for concern. He has now won just one of his last nine matches. On the other hand, De Minaur, despite his loss from a winning position at the Citi Open, has been more consistent.
Shapovalov's wayward shotmaking was on full display during his loss to Wolf at the Citi Open. 12 double faults and a ton of errors ensured he never got a foothold in the match despite some occasional sparks of brilliance. The Canadian didn't have a cohesive game plan and ultimately paid the price for his lack of strategy.
Given Shapovalov's current woes, de Minaur shouldn't have a problem handling him. He has won both of their previous encounters as well. The Australian was able to handle his opponent's power-packed game by redirecting the pace, coupled with his amazing retrieval skills on both occasions.
Shapovalov is capable of performing a lot better and his past results are proof of that. But unless he raises his level considerably and gets his act together, it's hard to see him winning in his current form.
Pick: Alex de Minaur to win in straight sets.