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Match Details
Fixture: (10) Hubert Hurkacz vs (20) Denis Shapovalov.
Date: 20 January 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize Money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Denis Shapovalov preview
Hubert Hurkacz and Denis Shapovalov are set to clash in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on Friday.
Following a straight-sets win over Pedro Martinez, Hurkacz took on Lorenzo Sonego in the second round. He went down an early break to trail 3-0 in the first set, a deficit from which he never recovered as he lost the opener. The Pole trailed by a break in the second set as well, but got back on serve eventually.
Hurkacz took the set to a tie-break and came out on top as well to clinch it. Sonego jumped to a 3-0 lead in the third set, securing another break of serve down the line to take the set.
With his back up against the wall, Hurkacz stepped up his game. He broke the Italian's serve twice to go 4-1 up in the fourth set. He then failed to close out the set at 5-2, but broke Sonego's serve in the next game to capture the set. The Pole bagged an early break to go 3-0 up in the final set.
Hurkacz held on to the lead and soon wrapped up a 3-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback victory.
Shapovalov kicked off his campaign in Melbourne with a four-set win over Dusan Lajovic. Awaiting him in the second round was Taro Daniel. The two started off strong, but the Canadian raised his level as he reeled off four straight games to claim the first set.
There were four breaks of serve at the start of the second set, but neither got close to a break point after that. Shapovalov managed to snatch the set by gaining the upper hand in the tie-break. The 23-year old trailed 3-1 in the third set, but soon got back on serve.
Shapovalov managed to secure a break of serve in the 11th game of the set, following which he closed out the proceedings to win 6-3, 7-6 (3), 7-5.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Denis Shapovalov head-to-head
Hurkacz leads Shapovalov 3-1 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2021 Miami Open in straight sets.
Hubert Hurkacz vs Denis Shapovalov odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Hubert Hurkacz vs Denis Shapovalov prediction
Hurkacz did well to navigate past a tricky player like Sonego and reach the third round here for the first time. However, his serving stats were rather average by his standards. He hit just nine aces in the previous round, compared to 24 in the first round. He made a ton of unforced errors as well.
Shapovalov, on the other hand, enjoyed a much better outing in the second round. Aside from a few minor hiccups, he never looked to be in any sort of trouble. His winners and unforced error count were quite high and evenly matched, which is on par for him.
Given Hurkacz's past record against Shapovalov, he has a slight edge in this match-up. The latter's aggressive brand of tennis falls apart against the Pole's consistency. However, the Canadian has performed slightly better at the Majors compared to his opponent, who seems to crumble under pressure.
Given how they've played so far, this seems like a good opportunity for Shapovalov to score an overdue win over Hurkacz.
Pick: Denis Shapovalov to win in four sets.
