Canadian Open 2022: Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex de Minaur preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Alex de Minaur vs (15) Grigor Dimitrov
Tournament: 2022 Canadian Open
Date: August 10, 2022
Round: Second Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Montreal, Canada
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Prize money: $5,926,545
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports 18
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex de Minaur preview
15th seed Grigor Dimitrov is all set to take on Alex de Minaur in the second round of the Canadian Open on Wednesday.
De Minaur has had a good year so far, winning the title at the Atlanta Open and reaching the fourth round at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Most recently, the Australian won his first-round clash in Montreal against Denis Shapovalov 7-5, 7-6(4) to put the Canadian out of the running in the tournament.
Shapovalov was the clear favorite heading into the encounter, playing on home soil with the crowd on his side. After losing the first set, Shapovalov fought back to take the second set to a tiebreaker.
Both players were neck-to-neck in the second set, tied at 3-3, when the match was suspended due to rain. When the match resumed the following day, De Minaur came out all guns blazing to win the match.
Rain wasn't going to deny @alexdeminaur as the in-form Aussie beat Denis Shapovalov to progress at the #CanadianOpen 
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS 
beinsports.com/au/tennis/vide…☔️Rain wasn't going to deny @alexdeminaur as the in-form Aussie beat Denis Shapovalov to progress at the #CanadianOpen
📺MATCH HIGHLIGHTS 👇beinsports.com/au/tennis/vide…
Dimitrov, on the other hand, reached the second round with a victory against Canadian wild card entry Alexis Galarneau. Despite Galarneau giving it his best, Dimitrov held out to win 6-4, 7-5.
Like De Minaur, Dimitrov has had a decent year so far, with a 20-14 win-loss record. He reached the semifinals in Melbourne and Monte-Carlo and the quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Delray Beach. In Grand Slams, however, the Bulgarian is yet to make it to the second week this season.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex De Minaur head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two is tied at 1-1. Dimitrov won their first meeting at the 2019 US Open, while the Australian emerged victorious at the 2020 European Open in Belgium.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex De Minaur odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex De Minaur prediction
De Minaur has momentum on his side now, coming into the contest on the back of a quarterfinal run at the Citi Open. After a win over Shapovalov in the opening round, De Minaur looks set to make a deep run at the tournament.
That said, 15th seed Dimitrov, whose single-handed backhand is his biggest weapon, could pose a threat to the unseeded Australian. Having recently reached the third round at the Citi Open, he will also be eager to go as far as possible in Montreal.
Dimitrov often comes up to the net to dictate play. He can effectively cover both sides of the net, making quick decisions. De Minaur, on the other hand, tends to play aggressively and is a counter-puncher. In what promises to be an interesting contest between tactics vs speed, the Aussie should come out on top and progress to the next round.
Pick: Alex De Minaur to win in three sets