TennisSection previews the 2021 Queen’s Open as Denis Shapovalov (2) meets Feliciano Lopez in the Round of 16 on Thursday June 17th, 2021.
An exciting match awaits us here in the Round of 16 at the Queen’s Open as second seeded Denis Shapovalov will face defending champion Feliciano Lopez for the second time in two weeks. The pair played last week in Stuttgart in this same round, with the Canadian getting a close three set win. Can he repeat the performance, or will the veteran Spaniard get the win to advance to yet another Quarter-Final here at Queens?
Denis Shapovalov is currently ranked #14 on the ATP Tour, a full 50 spots ahead of his opponent Feliciano Lopez. The young Canadian will be hoping to make his first Quarter-Final appearance here at the Queen’s Open, after losing in the First or Second Round in his first three appearances. Shapovalov was surprisingly made to work hard in his opening round win over Alexander Vukic, needing almost two hours to defeat his opponent who is ranked outside the top 200 in the world. A former Junior Wimbledon champion, he has struggled on grass on the ATP Tour but really does have the game to do well here. He will be hoping to do well here, but will first need to pass the stern test that the defending champion Feliciano Lopez is sure to give. Despite their gap in rankings, the Spaniard is still an elite grass court player and will make things difficult here at the 2021 Queen’s Open.
Feliciano Lopez is currently ranked #64 on the ATP world rankings, and at almost 40 years old is still a very solid player. The Spaniard is still considered one of the best grass court players around due to his tremendous lefty serve and volley, and his vast experience make him very difficult to beat on this surface. He was clinical in his opening round win over Ilya Marchenko, setting up a rematch with the young Canadian star Denis Shapovalov here in the Round of 16. While Lopez starts as the underdog, he should never be discounted due to his game’s suitability for this surface and is certainly capable of causing the upset here. His fitness and stamina are always huge question marks due to his age and decreased workload in recent years, but if fully healthy he can be quite dangerous.
This will be the second meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour, with Denis Shapovalov winning their only matchup last week in Stuttgart. Now that the young Canadian has shaken off the rust, I expect him to win in more convincing fashion this time around. Feliciano Lopez is always a formidable opponent on grass, but he is nowhere near the player that he once was and this should be a tough two set win for Shapovalov this time around, who will advance to the Quarter-Finals here at the 2021 Queen’s Open for the first time.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Denis Shapovalov to win in straight sets
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