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Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Denis Shapovalov vs Luca Van Assche
Date: May 27, 2024
Tournament: French Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Clay (Outdoor)
Prize Money: £53,478,000
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Tennis Channel, Peacock | Canada - TSN, RDS | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+ | India - Sony Ten
Denis Shapovalov vs Luca Van Assche preview
Former top-10 player Denis Shapovalov will take on home hope Luca Van Assche in the first round of the 2024 French Open on Monday.
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Shapovalov returned from an injury hiatus earlier this year, winning only two of his first nine matches. He registered back-to-back wins for the first time at the Miami Open and even knocked out World No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the third round.
Shapovalov's clay swing started with consecutive first-round exits but he found his footing in Madrid, where he made the third round. He crashed out in the first round of the Italian Open after that and followed it up with a second-round showing at the Geneva Open.
After a slow start to the season, Van Assche reached the third round of a Major for the first time at the Australian Open. That remains his best result of the year so far, and he hasn't stringed together two wins in a row since then.
Van Assche reached the second round of the Barcelona Open and the Madrid Open during the clay season. This will be his first match since his exit from the latter tournament.
Denis Shapovalov vs Luca Van Assche head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between the two, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Denis Shapovalov vs Luca Van Assche odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Denis Shapovalov vs Luca Van Assche prediction
Both players have won seven matches this season thus far. Shapovalov has displayed flashes of his former self, albeit patches. The Canadian inconsistency is expected as he's still getting his act together after a lengthy injury layoff. However, his game was quite volatile even when he was at his best.
Van Assche has been sidelined for more than a month because of his health issues. He has arrived in Paris with less than ideal match play that is a prerequisite for doing well at a Major. He made the second round of his home Slam last year but that seems like a long shot this time.
The French Open is Shapovalov's worst Major in terms of results as he has won four matches at the venue. He showed signs of improvement as he made the third round here for the first time last year.
Shapovalov will need to remain focused and keep a watch on his error count. He cannot afford to go off the rails as it could give Van Assche enough room to make a comeback, especially in a best-of-five sets format. Nevertheless, the Canadian's prior experience makes him the favorite to make it through this clash.
Pick: Denis Shapovalov to win in four sets.
