TennisSection previews the 2021 Barcelona Open as Denis Shapovalov (7) meets Jeremy Chardy in the Second Round on Tuesday, April 20th 2021.
Will the experience of Jeremy Chardy give him an edge here, allowing him to cause the upset against the up and coming and flamboyant Shapovalov? Will Shapovalov get his 2021 clay-court season off to a positive start as he enters his first clay tournament at the 2021 Barcelona Open? Both players can win this match if they are on top of their game, but only one will make their way to the Third Round. Who will it be?
Jeremy Chardy will be feeling quite confident in his game on clay in 2021. Although he lost in the Second Round of the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters against Grigor Dimitrov, Chardy was able to keep that match very tight and he had played extremely well in his First Round match against the always tough Alexander Bublik. Now in Barcelona, Jeremy Chardy will be looking to build upon his matches last week, ensuring that he is ready to go right from the start, and perhaps win a few more matches to ensure he is at his best before the big tournaments in May. Chardy, however, will need to ensure he is ready to play a very long match right from the start as he meets Denis Shapovalov who will also be very motivated.
Denis Shapovalov begins his 2021 clay-court season here at the 2021 Barcelona Open, having last played at the Miami Open where he lost in the Second Round to Hubert Hurkacz. Shapovalov will need to ensure he is ready to play very long rallies on clay, which goes against his usual playing style or aiming to finish points off early and rush through matches. Denis Shapovalov is a great talent, but it always takes him a little while to get going on any surface he plays on after a long time, and I am very curious to see how the Canadian comes out here, especially with a very tough opponent in Jeremy Chardy in his first match.
Denis Shapovalov and Jeremy Chardy have met 3 times before, with Denis Shapovalov leading the head to head 3-0. Although the head to head is all going the way of Shapovalov, I expect this to be a very tight match in the Second Round of the 2021 Barcelona Open. Jeremy Chardy has already gotten some minutes under his belt on clay, and I see him stealing a set from Shapovalov. However, at the end of the day, the young Canadian will come out on top and get his clay-court season off to a positive start.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Denis Shapovalov in 3 Sets.
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