(Tennis news) Denis Shapovalov, who is ranked 29th in the world right now, has had his share of struggles in 2023, despite a few standout performances. He got off to a strong start at the Adelaide tournament, making it to the quarterfinals, but his subsequent results have been sporadic. With a score of 1-6, 4-6, 2-6, he was humiliated by Carlos Alcaraz in the third round at Roland-Garros. The Stuttgart Open, however, saw him have a dismal first-round loss at the hands of Marton Fucsovics with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 4-6. Notably, Shapovalov has had an inconsistent performance on grass since reaching the semifinals at both Queen’s and Wimbledon in 2021.

On the other hand, Lloyd Harris has had a difficult year full of fitness issues that have hampered his performance. He has attempted to advance past the preliminary rounds of the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters, Lyon Open, French Open, and Rosmalen Grass Court Championships. Prior to the grass court season, Harris put up a noteworthy showing at the Lyon Open, where he defeated Manuel Guinard in the qualifying round before being eliminated by Arthur Rinderknech in the first round.

Denis Shapovalov has four wins and six losses in his previous ten games. In six of these matches, he won the opening set. He played an average of 27.7 games and won 13.2 of them. In contrast to his losses, which were primarily 2-0 (50 percent loss rate) and 2-1 (33.3 percent loss rate), his wins were balanced between 2-0 (25 percent win rate) and 2-1 (25 percent win rate).

In contrast, Lloyd Harris’ last 10 encounters have resulted in three wins and seven losses. The first set was twice won by the South African, who played an average of 23.6 games and won 11.1 of them.

His 2-0 triumphs constitute a win rate of 66.7 percent, and his 2-1 victory is a win rate of 33.3 percent. With one defeat at 2-1 (14.3 percent loss rate), his defeats were mostly in straight sets (2-0 loss rate, 71.4% loss rate).

Head-to-Head

With three victories versus Denis Shapovalov, Lloyd Harris leads their head-to-head matchups. Harris won the opening match of the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships 2021 with scores of 6-7(5), 6-4, and 7-6(6).

Later the same year, Harris repeated his victory at the US Open by crushing Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Harris prevailed in their most recent match, which took place at the Miami Open in 2022, by a score of 6-3, 6-4.

Predictions

An exciting first-round matchup between Denis Shapovalov and Lloyd Harris is scheduled for the upcoming Halle Open 2023. Since neither athlete has been consistently strong, it is difficult to predict this contest. Denis Shapovalov frequently exhibits erratic performance. The Canadian player is known for his excellent forehand and first serve, but his rushed play during rallies frequently throws off his rhythm. Furthermore, his second serve can be a weakness. 

Lloyd Harris offers a powerful first serve as well as powerful back-to-back returns. His quick movement and strong forehand may be impressive to see. However, he is prone to expensive mistakes when his gameplay isn’t at its best. Shapovalov might have a tiny advantage despite the fierce competition because he has played more matches this season, which could tilt the scales in his favour. 

Denis Shapovalov to win 2 sets

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