Japan Open 2022: Denis Shapovalov vs Steve Johnson preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (7) Denis Shapovalov vs Steve Johnson.
Date: October 5, 2022
Tournament: Japan Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Tokyo, Japan.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $1,953,285.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Denis Shapovalov vs Steve Johnson preview
World No. 22 Denis Shapovalov will lock horns with American Steve Johnson in the first round of the 2022 Japan Open on Wednesday.
After a strong start to the season, which included winning the ATP Cup and reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Shapovalov's progress stalled a bit. He had a bit of a resurgence at the Italian Open, where he defeated Rafael Nadal en route to the last eight.
Shapovalov then went into a major slump, from which he only recovered last month. He showed signs of improvement by making it to the third round of the Western & Southern Open and the US Open. The Canadian then competed in last week's Korea Open.
As the fourth seed there, Shapovalov received a first-round bye. He defeated Jaume Munar, Radu Albot and Jenson Brooksby in straight sets to reach his first final of the season. The 23-year old was up against Yoshihito Nishioka in the title round and lost to him in straight sets. While he fell short at the final hurdle, it was still an impressive week for the Canadian.
Steve Johnson has had a decent season, with the quarterfinals at Newport and Los Cabos being the highlights. A third-round appearance at Wimbledon was his best result at a Grand Slam this year. However, his ranking has gradually slipped over a period of time, and now he's ranked outside the top 100.
Johnson lost in the first round of the US Open and made yet another opening-round exit at the San Diego Open after that. At last week's Korea Open, he scored a straight-sets win over Jisung Nam in the first round. The American faced Radu Albot in the second round, but lost to him in two tight sets.
Denis Shapovalov vs Steve Johnson head-to-head
Shapovalov leads Johnson 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2019 Indian Wells Masters in straight sets.
Denis Shapovalov vs Steve Johnson odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Denis Shapovalov vs Steve Johnson prediction
During his second-round loss to Albot last week, Johnson had a decent lead in both sets before squandering them. If he finds himself in the driver's seat yet again, he'll need to maintain an iron grip on the proceedings.
Shapovalov notched up his best result in a long time, but his performance in the final last week was a bit of a let down. After playing well all week, he made uncharacteristic errors along with poor shot selection in the final.
Johnson's biggest asset remains his serve, though across the net Shapovalov matches him quite well in the department. The Canadian will be aiming to ride this wave of newfound momentum and if he keeps tabs on the error count, he's likely to emerge victorious in the end.
Pick: Denis Shapovalov to win in straight sets.