TennisSection previews the 2022 Dubai Open as Denis Shapovalov takes on Jiri Vesely in the semifinal on Friday, February 25th, 2022.
Jiri Vesely will now hold the distinction of the ultimate underdog who defeated the top-ranked Novak Djokovic twice. The Czech is now on the cusp of reaching an improbable final at the Dubai Open. Will he get the job done against the flamboyant, but erratic Denis Shapovalov on Friday?
Denis Shapovalov encountered little resistance on his way to the semifinals of the Dubai Open. The Canadian lefty powered past World No. 99 Ricardas Berankis in straight sets to pick up his 11th win of the season. Shapovalov won the first set in a tiebreak, and it was the closest the Lithuanian had gotten to snatch an unlikely lead. And from that moment on, the sixth seed bossed proceedings firing eight aces in total and winning 83% first-serve points. He will face a surprise semifinalist in Jiri Vesely who recorded the upset of the tournament by some distance.
Jiri Vesely put Novak Djokovic back to the drawing board as he pulled off a major shock in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Open. Not many people (myself included) foresaw Vesely rolling back the years, with an aggressive display of power tennis that breached the defenses of Djokovic at will. Defeat will have its own ramifications towards Djokovic who will relinquish his No. 1 ranking to Daniil Medvedev on Monday. But more importantly, the Czech left-hander boosts his chances of returning to the Top 100.
Denis Shapovalov and Jiri Vesely have not faced off on the ATP Tour. Friday’s match at the Dubai Open will be their first official meeting. Vesely has played high-level tennis this week than what his current ranking suggests. He had never won a main draw match prior to this week at this event, but he has scaled the qualifying rounds with aplomb and defeated the trio of Cilic, Bautista Agut and Djokovic without dropping a set in the main draw proper. That is an amazing feat. But it could all come to a screeching halt on Friday. Shapovalov has shaken off the cobwebs that seemed to stall his progress in the past few weeks. It would be cruel to pick against the Czech in this one especially after that resounding win over Djokovic, but I reckon he will push the Canadian in a close three-set defeat.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Denis Shapovalov to win in 3 sets.
Want more Free Tennis Picks from our Experts? Check out our latest Tennis Predictions now!
Join TopCourt now to learn from some of the best tennis players in the world! Find our exclusive 14-day FREE-trial here!
All betting odds/banners presented on the site are advertisements. Opinions of our experts are solely opinions. Please gamble responsibly and BeGambleAware.org.
