Denis Shapovalov vs David Goffin – Breakdown and Prediction

BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE

Denis Shapovalov vs David Goffin: ATP Atlanta – First round

Two former Top 10 players will face each other in the opening round of the ATP Atlanta.

 

Denis Shapovalov Profile

Former world No. 10 Denis Shapovalov is currently ranked No. 140 in the world. The Canadian is 14–17 for the season and 5-7 on hard.

This will be his first match after losing to Ben Shelton in five sets in the third round of Wimbledon. That was Shapovalov’s best result this season, and he also reached the third round at the French Open in Miami and Madrid.

This will be his first appearance in Atlanta.

 

David Goffin Profile

Former world No. 7 David Goffin is currently 98th in the world. The Belgian is 29-19 for the season and 9-5 on hard.

Goffin is coming off a five-set loss to Tomas Machac in the opening round of Wimbledon.

His best result of the season was winning the Challenger in Ilklay.

This will be his first appearance in Atlanta.

 

Head-to-Head Tied 1-1

  • Shapovalov vs Goffin 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 (2020 US Open, round of 16)
  • Goffin vs Shapovalov 7-6, 7-6 (2019 Japan Open, round of 16)

 

Prediction and Conclusion

Both players are far from their best form, and only Shapovalov is seen as having the potential to return, at least among the top 30 players in the world. Goffin has had many ups and downs in recent years and could barely get into the top 100 players in the rankings. It’s been a while since their last match, which was four years ago, when both of them had much bigger ambitions. Starting the US tour brings them together for the first time in Atlanta, and they will both play their best tennis, hoping for a long week. None of them is capable of dominating the court, so we are going with over 22.5 games in total.