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Denis Shapovalov is through to the third round of the 2023 Australian Open and will take on Hubert Hurkacz at the Margaret Court Arena on Friday (January 20) after defeating Taro Daniel 6-3, 7-6, 7-5 in straight sets in Round 2.
There was a big difference in the number of aces both players hit, with the Canadian leading the charts with nine, compared to Daniel hitting only two. The only negative of the former's game was that he conceded nine big double faults that could have cost him any other day.
However, he compensated for it with his winning percentage on his first serve, which stood at 73 compared to Tora's at 56%. He had a total of nine break-point opportunities and got hold of six of them. Denis won a total of 118 points whereas the Japanese managed to win a total of 97 points.
The 23-year-old will now take on the Polish international, who is coming off a win against Lorenzo Sonego in a five-set thriller. Hurkacz won the match 3-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a dramatic fashion. He had to come back from being 2-1 down going into the fourth set.
He was poor on his second serve, but made for it with a much higher winning percentage on his serve, which was 79 compared to Lorenzo’s 68. Hurkacz had 17 break-point opportunities but could only manage to take advantage of five of them. The match was so close that the 25-year-old won a total of 154 points whereas the Italian won a total of 153.
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Denis Shapovalov vs Hubert Hurkacz: Betting Odds
The Canadian is seeded 20 in the tournament and will try to better his performance compared to last year when he reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. This is his sixth consecutive appearance at a Grand Slam.
Hurkacz is currently seeded No.10 but has reached a career-high ranking of nine in the ATP rankings. This is his fifth appearance at the Australian Open and reached round 64 last year.
Denis Shapovalov vs Hubert Hurkacz: Match Details
Fixture: Denis Shapovalov @ Hubert Hurkacz
Date & Time: Friday, January 20, 03:00 am ET
Venue: Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Park
Denis Shapovalov vs Hubert Hurkacz: Betting Prediction
The two players have met each other four times in the past and it is the Polish who has the upper hand, winning three of those four encounters. All the matches were played on hard courts, which gives him a slight advantage going into this one, but don't count out Shapovalov. Expect the match to be a close contest.
Final Prediction: Total Over 40.5 (-125)
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