TennisSection previews the 2021 Dubai Open as Denis Shapovalov (3) meets Lloyd Harris in the Semi-finals on Friday, March 19th 2021.
Will Lloyd Harris be able to make his first Final in 2021 after having taken out some of the best players in the tournament, including Dominic Thiem? Will Denis Shapovalov continue to cruise through his matches here in Dubai, having only spent 4 hours on court across 3 matches? Both players have been on top of their game here in Dubai, but only one will be able to book a spot in the Final here. Who will it be?
Denis Shapovalov put on a strong and composed performance against the very experienced Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy. He beat chardy in the Quarter-finals in straight sets 7-5/6-4, and was able to ensure he had a high percentage on both his first, but also his second serve. Shapovalov, when playing his best tennis, is amazing to watch, and it has been great to see the consistency in his game this week. Shapovalov sometimes falters when he is pushed a lot by opponents, but he has not allowed anyone to push him around this week. Denis Shapovalov will know he will be in for a very tough match here, his toughest of the week, in this Semi-final match as he meets Lloyd Harris who has so much power and has been playing amazingly here in Dubai this week. Can Shapovalov make his way to the Final here at the Dubai Open?
Lloyd Harris has been improving continuously this week, dominating all of his matches in the his side of the draw. Harris definitely has a lot of potential, and he has shown this in the last 2 weeks, beating the likes of Stan Wawrinka last week in Qatar, and beating Dominic Thiem, Filip Krajinovic, and Kei Nishikori this week in Dubai. Harris was able to beat the very in form and experienced Kei Nishikori in the Quarter-finals, beating the Japanese in 3 sets 6-1/3-6/6-3. Harris knows how to play some incredible rallies in these conditions, moving his opponents around the court with ease and getting on top of points early in both his service and return games. Harris will now meet another in form and great player this week in Denis Shapovalov. Will Harris be able to use the momentum gathered this week to book himself a spot in the Final of the Dubai Open?
Denis Shapovalov and Lloyd Harris have never met before. When looking at both of them on paper, there are all the signs that Denis Shapovalov should win this one at this stage in his career. Shapovalov is higher ranked, had more consistent results over the last year, and has more potential in the next few years. However, Harris has played the better tennis all week in my opinion. Harris has put it all on the line in every match here, whilst you could argue Shapovalov was not really pushed or tested as much. Shapovalov has been able to dominate his matches due to his serve, but once that is taken away by the amazing return game of Harris, I am unsure Shapovalov will be able to deal.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Lloyd Harris to win.
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