Carlos Alcaraz vs Denis Shapovalov Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP French Open

Prediction published on 01/06/2023, 07:05  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 01/06/2023 at 07:06 in Tennis Predictions

The world number one Carlos Alcaraz will face 26th-ranked Denis Shapovalov in the third round of Roland Garros on Friday. The winner of this match will face either Lorenzo Musetti or Cameron Norrie in round four. Alcaraz is in search of his fifth title of the year to go with the ones he's already earned in Buenos Aires, California, Barcelona, and Madrid. The Spaniard has been sensational this year, with a record of 32-3 overall and 22-2 on the clay. Following a disappointing run in Rome last month, he bounced back well in the first round here in France, easing past Flavio Coboli in straight sets. The Spaniard did drop the second set in the last round against Taro Daniel, but he quickly corrected that in the third, breaking the Japanese three times in succession. Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals here last year and is already one of the firm favourites to go on to lift the title. 

Shapovalov came into this tournament with a clay court record of just 1-2 for the year. He went into his opening match against Brandon Nakashima as the underdog but showed his resilience to overcome the American in a grueling five sets. That almost three-hour battle was followed by another testing four sets against Matteo Arnaldi, which secured him the first third-round appearance at Roland Garros of his career. In that match, the Canadian managed an impressive five breaks while winning 80% of his own first-serve points. However, while those wins would have given his confidence a huge boost, Shapovalov will have to have to raise his game significantly to overcome the current best player in the world in this one.