Queen's Club 2022: Denis Shapovalov vs Tommy Paul preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Cinch Championships
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Denis Shapovalov vs Tommy Paul.
Tournament: Cinch Championships 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: London, United Kingdom.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: €2,134,520.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Denis Shapovalov vs Tommy Paul preview
Sixth seed Denis Shapovalov will take on World No. 39 Tommy Paul in the first round of the 2022 Cinch Championships.
Shapovalov has been going through a rough patch lately. His clay season ended with consecutive opening-round losses at the Geneva Open and the French Open. His grass season also commenced on a sour note as he lost to Oscar Otte in the first round of the Boss Open in Stuttgart.
Shapovalov fared better in the doubles. Teaming up with Rohan Bopanna, the duo made it to the semifinals in Stuttgart where they lost to Mate Pavic and Hubert Hurkacz. The Canadian is in dire need of some match wins. With no points being awarded for Wimbledon this year, his ranking is set to take a huge hit in the coming weeks.
Shapovalov made it to the semifinals of the grasscourt Major last year and is set to lose 720 points regardless of how he performs this year. Performing well in the lead-up events to Wimbledon will help to keep his ranking steady.
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Tommy Paul's results over the last few weeks have been quite similar to Shapovalov's. He also ended the clay season with first-round losses at the Geneva Open and the French Open. He kicked off his grass season at the Libema Open, where he lost a closely contested three-set match against Brandon Nakashima in the first round yet again.
Paul's best result this year was a semi-final showing at the Delray Beach Open back in February. He also managed to reach the quarter-final stage at three more tournaments. The American will be aiming to summon some of that form to snap his current losing streak.
Denis Shapovalov vs Tommy Paul head-to-head
The duo have faced off once before, with Paul leading the head-to-head 1-0. He beat Shapovalov to claim the 2021 Stockholm Open title in three sets.
Denis Shapovalov vs Tommy Paul odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Denis Shapovalov vs Tommy Paul prediction
Both players are on a four-match losing streak at the moment and have lost in the first round of their last three tournaments.
Paul's lack of experience on grass puts him at a considerable disadvantage. He's yet to make his debut at Wimbledon and hasn't won a main-draw match at the ATP level on the surface. Shapovalov, on the other hand, is quite comfortable on grass and has recorded some good results on the surface.
Both players are capable servers and rained down plenty of aces in their previous matches at the Stuttgart Open and the Libema Open, with Paul hitting 14 aces against Shapovalov's 12. Their serve will play a key role in this encounter and could determine the outcome.
Shapovalov's recent losses have been characterized by a ton of errors. Better point construction and a little patience could change that. His groundstrokes pack a punch, but pulling the trigger too soon has led to his downfall.
If Paul is able to remain consistent, he could elicit a number of errors from his opponent. But Shapovalov has more tools in his arsenal and knows how to handle the challenges presented on the surface.
Paul's lack of experience on grass is a major handicap, and if Shapovalov plays with a little more caution, he should be able to win this.
Pick: Denis Shapovalov to win in three sets.