Stuttgart 2024: Matteo Berrettini vs Denis Shapovalov preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Boss Open
Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Matteo Berrettini vs (WC) Denis Shapovalov
Date: June 13, 2024
Tournament: Boss Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Tennis Club Weissenhof, Stuttgart, Germany
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Grass
Prize Money: €734,915
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN+ | UK - Sky Sports
Matteo Berrettini vs Denis Shapovalov preview
Former top-10 players Matteo Berrettini and Denis Shapovalov will clash in the second round of the 2024 Boss Open on Thursday (June 13).
Contesting his first match in two months, Berrettini was up against eighth seed Roman Safiullin in the first round. Neither player got a whiff of a break point in the opening set, which then went to a tie-break. The Italian fended off a set point before claiming the opener for himself.
The two remained steady on serve for most of the second set, until Safiullin broke the impasse by going on a three-game run to take the set. Both had a few break point chances throughout the third set but neither capitalized on their initial opportunities.
Berrettini even held a match point on Safiullin's serve at 5-4 but couldn't close out the match. However, he got the job done later on, breaking the Russian's serve in the last game of the match for a 7-6 (8), 5-7, 7-5 win.
Shapovalov, meanwhile, was drawn against qualifier Matteo Martineau in his opener. The Canadian rallied from 4-2 down in the first set to turn the tables on his opponent. He held a couple of set points on the Frenchman's serve at 6-5 but the latter managed to eke out a service hold to force a tie-break.
Shapovalov came out on top in it to take a one-set lead. He dictated the play a bit more in the second set, and his efforts were rewarded with a break of serve in the 11th game. He served out the match after that to score a 7-6 (5), 7-5 victory.
Matteo Berrettini vs Denis Shapovalov head-to-head
Shapovalov leads Berrettini 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2019 Davis Cup Finals in three sets.
Matteo Berrettini vs Denis Shapovalov odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Matteo Berrettini vs Denis Shapovalov prediction
Berrettini made a winning comeback after an injury hiatus as he earned a hard-fought win over Safiullin. He was impressive on serve as usual, raining down a whopping 27 aces throughout the match.
Shapovalov looked quite solid in his first grass match of the season as well. While he won 80 percent of his first-serve points, he also threw in 10 double faults to make things difficult for himself.
The Canadian has won both of his prior matches against Berrettini. However, this time they're meeting on the latter's turf, grass. The Italian has a 10-1 record in Stuttgart, having won a couple of titles in the past. While he could face some resistance from Shapovalov, he should be able to overcome it to advance further.
Pick: Matteo Berrettini to win in three sets.