Adelaide International 2023: Novak Djokovic vs Denis Shapovalov Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Adelaide International as Novak Djokovic takes on Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinal on Friday, January 6, 2023.

Novak Djokovic survived an early scare in his second-round win over Quentin Halys. Now his quest for a first title of the season at the Adelaide International will be put to the test when he takes on No. 7 seed Denis Shapovalov. Who will prevail?

If Novak Djokovic was looking for a much more competitive match at the Adelaide International following his opening-day stroll, then he certainly got it on Thursday. The Serbian star was pushed to his absolute limits by France’s World No. 64 Quentin Halys who played the match of his life, but it was not enough to even bag a set against the top seed. Such is the standard that Djokovic has set throughout his career. The Serbian star recovered from 3-5 down in the first set to claim a gutsy 7-6 7-6 win in one of the most entertaining matches of the week.

Denis Shapovalov, meanwhile, has had to hold off two spirited qualifiers at this week’s Adelaide International. First, he came from a set down to beat Australia’s Rinky Hijikata. Then he extended his winning record over Roman Safiullin in a straight-sets win on Thursday. This has been a very encouraging start for the Canadian, whom we expected to struggle early doors given his risk-tolerant approach to matches. But against Novak Djokovic, there will be no margin for error if he intends to reach the last four.

Novak Djokovic leads Denis Shapovalov 7-0 in their head-to-head meetings. It is also pertinent to note that Djokovic has only lost two sets in seven matches against the Canadian. And coming off that gutsy win over Quentin Halys, it is a timely reminder that Shapovalov will absolutely need to serve lights out and expect Djokovic’s level to drop substantially to have a chance. Even that might not suffice. We expect the top seed to keep his unblemished record over Shapovalov intact at the Adelaide International.