Adelaide International 2023: Denis Shapovalov vs Roman Safiullin Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Adelaide International as Denis Shapovalov takes on Roman Safiullin in the second round on Thursday, January 5, 2023.

Will Denis Shapovalov withstand the challenge of another qualifier at the Adelaide International? or will Roman Safiullin prove to be a stumbling block in his quest to reach the quarterfinal? This should be a major test for the Canadian lefty who cannot afford another slow start.

After dropping the opening set 6-2 against Rinky Hijikata, Denis Shapovalov looked on his way to follow compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime in the list of big-name casualties at the Adelaide International. Errors galore and a succession of double faults handed the Australian qualifier the first set on a tea tray. But Shapovalov regrouped and played with a lot more freedom and cut down on the errors drastically to seize control of the match. Hijikata was nervous and error-prone as the match began squeaking out of his grasp. Shapovalov sensed it and injected more pace and intensity in his shots to take the next two sets. Next up for the Canadian will be Roman Safiullin who is not to be underestimated.

Roman Safiullin, for his part, scored an odds-defying win over Mikael Ymer, the 69th-ranked Swede, to reach the second round of the Adelaide International. The Russian has scaled the qualifying hurdle this week, beating Yannick Hanfmann and Vasek Pospisil in three sets. But remarkably, he had a less troublesome afternoon against Ymer, whom he dominated in baseline exchanges and did not drop a single service game throughout his 6-4 6-2 win. Will he produce a giant-killing upset on Thursday against the No. 7 seed Denis Shapovalov?

Denis Shapovalov leads Roman Safiullin 1-0 in their Tour-level meetings. Shapovalov and Safiullin clashed at the 2022 ATP Cup where Canada defeated Russia en route to the title. One of the singles rubbers involved Shjapovalov beating Safiullin in three sets in very dramatic circumstances. The Canadian is naturally the favorite at the Adelaide International, but the Russian possesses the repertoire to challenge Shapovalov again. And at 9/5, he is too big of a value to pass up.