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Match details
Fixture: Daniil Medvedev (Team Europe) vs Denis Shapovalov (Team World)
Date: 25 September 2021
Tournament: Laver Cup 2021
Round: Day 2, Evening Session
Venue: TD Garden, Boston
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: $2,250,000 (players also receive a participation fee based on their rankings)
Match timing: 7 pm local time, 11 pm GMT, 4.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport 1
Daniil Medvedev vs Denis Shapovalov preview
Daniil Medvedev and Denis Shapovalov will face each other on Day 2 of the 2021 Laver Cup. They will be playing the third and final singles fixture for the day.
After Friday's fixtures, Team Europe leads Team World by a margin of 3-1. The Europeans won all three of their singles fixtures, with Andrey Rublev, Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud emerging victorious. But the doubles pair of John Isner and Denis Shapovalov fought back late on Friday to defeat Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini and give Team World their first point.
By the time Medvedev and Shapovalov take the court on Saturday, Stefanos Tsitsipas will have played Nick Kyrgios, and Alexander Zverev will have played John Isner. The matches on Day 2 award the winners with two points each instead of one. As such, Shapovalov could find himself under immense pressure against Medvedev if one or both of Kyrgios and Isner falter.
However, the Canadian would be backing himself after the solid display of tennis he put forth against Zverev and Berrettini on Friday. Shapovalov and Isner blew the European pair apart in the match tiebreaker, winning it by a margin of 10-1.
Daniil Medvedev, meanwhile, will be making his debut at the event this year. The reigning US Open champion is spearheading Team Europe's challenge in the absence of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Daniil Medvedev vs Denis Shapovalov head-to-head
Denis Shapovalov leads Daniil Medvedev by a margin of 2-1 in the head-to-head. Shapovalov beat Medvedev in straight sets at the 2017 US Open and in three sets at Washington in 2018.
The Russian returned the favor at Tokyo 2018, beating Shapovalov in straight sets.
Daniil Medvedev vs Denis Shapovalov prediction
Daniil Medvedev enters this fixture as the firm favorite given his immaculate hardcourt record in recent weeks. Medvedev won 15 of his 16 matches during the American hardcourt swing, and bagged the US Open title for the loss of just one set.
Denis Shapovalov, on the other hand, lost in the first round at Toronto as well as Cincinnati. At the US Open, he managed to make it only as far as the third round.
The courts at the TD Garden are reportedly very slow this year. That means the uber-aggressive Shapovalov is unlikely to get as much purchase on his lefty serve and booming groundstrokes as he usually does.
Medvedev on the other hand is unlikely to be bothered by the speed of the courts, as he is consistent enough to maneuver long rallies his way. The Russian will only be too happy to redirect the pace of every big Shapovalov shot that comes his way.
Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets.
