Toronto 2021: Feliciano Lopez vs Lloyd Harris preview, head-to-head & prediction | National Bank Open
Match details
Fixture: Feliciano Lopez vs Lloyd Harris
Date: 11 August 2021
Tournament: 2021 National Bank Open
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Aviva Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hard
Prize money: $2,850,975
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot
Feliciano Lopez vs Lloyd Harris preview
Rafael Nadal was originally scheduled to take on South Africa's Lloyd Harris in the second round of the Canada Masters on Wednesday. But the five-time champion has now withdrawn from the event, and been replaced in the draw by lucky loser Feliciano Lopez.
Lopez has struggled to string together a lot of match wins in 2021, winning only 12 of his 22 matches across the main circuit and the ATP Challenger tour. The last time the Spanish veteran had a good tournament was at the Australian Open back in January, where he came from two sets to love down against Lorenzo Sonego in the second round before losing to Andrey Rublev in the third.
It should be noted that Lopez also entered the qualifying event in Toronto this week, but lost in the final round to World No. 57 Yoshihito Nishioka.
Harris, meanwhile, has proven that he is no pushover when it comes to facing top-level opponents. In addition to his win over Rafael Nadal last week in Washington, the big-hitting South African has also beaten Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka and Denis Shapovalov in 2021.
Currently ranked No. 49 in the world, Harris has reached two ATP finals in his career - at the 2020 Adelaide International and the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Feliciano Lopez vs Lloyd Harris head-to-head
The second-round encounter in Toronto will be the first tour meeting between Feliciano Lopez and Lloyd Harris, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0. That said, Lopez did beat Harris in the qualifying rounds of the Cincinnati Masters in 2019.
Feliciano Lopez vs Lloyd Harris prediction
Although Feliciano Lopez has had a drop-off in his level over the last few years, he still has a good aptitude for playing on medium-fast hardcourts. Lopez possesses a strong first serve, which often helps him in getting out of jail on break points.
The 39-year-old often tries to shorten the points off his serve or slice approaches, but he can consistently knock back balls from the baseline as well.
While Lloyd Harris has more powerful weapons in his arsenal, Lopez has years of experience in his bag; the Spaniard even reached the semifinals at Toronto in 2014. Having said that, Lopez is far removed from the level he showed then, which ultimately gives his South African opponent the upper hand in this match-up.
Prediction: Lloyd Harris to win in three sets.