TennisSection previews the 2022 Indian Wells as Denis Shapovalov takes on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round on Saturday, March 12th, 2022.
It was a bad day at the office for Denis Shapovalov in the Dubai semifinals, and he will be quick to write off that defeat to Jiri Vesely when he squares off against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Shapovalov has not lost a second-round match at Indian Wells before, so he should fancy his chances of progressing.
Denis Shapovalov looked in total control of his semifinal match against Jiri Vesely in Dubai last month. But after a few lapses in concentration and some miscalculated shots, he handed the Czech a route back into the match. And the rest as they say was history. Shapovalov lost that match from a point of dominance and continues to stumble just before the final hurdle. The Canadian has enjoyed a fantastic start to the year, but he has been made to wait for a second career title. Can he defy the odds and go all the way in Indian Wells?
Alejandro Davidovich Fokkina, unlike Denis Shapovalov, got game time in the first round of Indian Wells. The unseeded Spaniard defeated the fit-again Croat Borna Coric in three sets to reach the second round. Coric, who had been out of action for precisely a year, took the first set in a tiebreak. But Davidovich Fokina rallied and stormed to take the second set 6-0. Coric was clearly short of match practice, but competed well in the third set which could have gone either way. The Croatian star had the match on his racket in game nine, but was broken while serving for the match. Ultimately, the Spaniard raised his level in the closing games to register just his second win at this tournament.
Denis Shapovalov and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Saturday’s match at Indian Wells will be their first official meeting. Davidovich Fokina continues to be on the receiving end of some brutal draws this year which partly explains why he has managed to string back-to-back wins at one tournament in 2022. Shapovalov, for his part, has had no such issues when it comes to reaching the business end of tour-level tournaments. If the Canadian is able to impose himself with his thunderous groundstrokes and punchy first serve, the Spaniard is unlikely to live with him for too long.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Denis Shapovalov to win in straight sets.
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