TennisSection previews the 2022 French Open as Denis Shapovalov takes on Holger Rune in the first round on Tuesday, May 24th, 2022.
Denis Shapovalov will need to be firing on all cylinders right out of the gate. The Canadian lefty will take on the high-flying Dane Holger Rune in an intriguing first-round clash at the French Open. Who will prevail?
Denis Shapovalov has not enjoyed his trips to Paris to play the French Open. The Canadian has always been backed to make deep runs at the clay slam in recent seasons, but has flattered to deceive at the grandest stage. Last year’s defeat to Roberto Carballes Baena was a major shock as was his first-round exit against Jan-Lennard Struff the year before. Nonetheless, Shapovalov remains a formidable challenge on this surface. And if he gets a little bit more time on the ball (which he will on the clay), he will do a lot of damage with his ferocious ground strokes from the back of the court.
Holger Rune, for his part, is rising through the ranks. Rune has transitioned from Challenger Tour player to become one of the most-talked about players on the senior tour in recent weeks. And it is easy to see why. The soft-spoken Dane has put together a fantastic run during the clay swing in the build up to French Open. He won his first ATP title in Munich without dropping a set, and registering a career-best win after beating Alexander Zverev, the top seed, in the earlier rounds. In his last tournament in Lyon, he made the semifinals where he lost to top seed Cameron Norrie.
Denis Shapovalov and Holger Rune have not clashed on the ATP Tour. Monday’s match at the French Open will be their first official meeting. Rune has been playing fearless tennis and will now cross swords against Shapovalov whose attacking brand of tennis should make this a compelling match. Rune’s conditioning is extremely worrying coming into this match. Shapovalov is too inconsistent to be trusted to close this one out in five, but the Dane’s record in longer matches is not the best either.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Denis Shapovalov to win in five sets.
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