Cincinnati 2020: Denis Shapovalov vs Marin Cilic preview, head-to-head & prediction

World No. 16 Denis Shapovalov will make his return to the tour at the Cincinnati Masters (in New York), where he takes on former US Open champion Marin Cilic in the first round.

After a quarterfinal appearance at the ATP Cup in Australia this year, the Canadian suffered first-round exits at the Australian Open and Montpellier. His last match on the professional circuit was in February, where he lost to Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals of the Open 13 Provence tournament at Marseille, France.

However, Shapovalov has a decent record on American hardcourts. The 21-year-old will fancy his chances of going deep in the upper half of the men's draw.

His opponent, World No. 37 Marin Cilic, has had a less than ideal season in 2020 so far. After a fourth-round defeat to Milos Raonic at the Australian Open, the Croat struggled in both Marseille and Dubai, before the lockdown brought a halt to the ATP tour.

Unlike his opponent, however, Cilic was active during the lockdown. He lost three straight matches in the second stage of the ill-fated Adria Tour, before the event's ultimate cancellation.

Denis Shapovalov vs Marin Cilic head-to-head

The match at the Western and Southern Open will mark the fourth meeting between Denis Shapovalov and Marin Cilic, with the Canadian currently leading the head-to-head 2-1. Their most recent meeting was at Marseille in February this year, a few weeks before the cancellation of the tour, where Shapovalov edged the round-of-16 tie.

True to his style, Shapovalov was the more aggressive player in that match. He sent down 17 aces and broke Cilic's solid serve three times, while winning 45 of the 59 points on his own first serve.

The World No. 16 prevailed in their one and only meeting on outdoor hardcourts, in straight sets at Indian Wells 2019. Cilic did win their first meeting, however, at Basel in 2018 - the same year he reached the Australian Open final.

Denis Shapovalov vs Marin Cilic prediction

Considering Denis Shapovalov hasn't played much recently, this game is a difficult one to call. Shapovalov seems to have the edge given their history and early 2020 form, but Cilic could well take advantage of the Canadian's lack of match sharpness.

The Croat's blistering serve - perhaps his biggest strength - might be enough to prevent Shapovalov from unleashing his aggressive baseline game. But if Cilic fails to keep his foot on the pedal, the youngster could eventually find his rhythm and start controlling the rallies.

Prediction: Denis Shapovalov to win in three sets.