The number 11 seed Denis Shapovalov will battle countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round of the 2021 Australian Open on Friday, February 12. Timings of this match will be available upon the release of order of play. Get the live streaming options of this Denis Shapovalov v Felix Auger-Aliassime match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Denis Shapovalov v Felix Auger-Aliassime Head to Head
In four contests in this series, Shapovalov leads his countryman 3-1. Two of Shapovalov’s wins were mastered in Grand Slams (US Open 2018 & 2019), albeit one of them was via a retirement. While his other victory came in their very first meeting at the Drummondville Challenger in 2017 when both players were tadpoles.
Auger-Aliassime’s solitary win came on the clay court of the Mutua Madrid Open, in 2019.
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Tomic Feels The Force Of Shapovalov
”Bernard is a really tough opponent,” a nonchalant Denis Shapovalov expressed his relief in the aftermath of his second round victory over Australia’s forgotten man Bernard Tomic. We can excuse the pun, as Shapovalov’s point was just how much fight Tomic showed in that second set which could have quite easily swung his way had Tomic taken his break points in that first game of the set.
The Canadian lefty won 6-1 6-3 6-2 in a match that turned into a cakewalk, such that it would have been difficult not to sympathize with Tomic long before the end. The match itself lasted an hour and 48 minutes, a heroic effort from Tomic he lasted that long considering his record of throwing in the towel even before players trot onto court.
For Shapovalov this win was as comprehensive as any he has had in his career. Following his epic comeback victory over Jannik Sinner, there were no signs of weariness. He hit twice as many winners (37 to 18), and won 84% of first serve points. Tomic fashioned seven break points but could not convert any, as Shapovalov rammed 16 aces.
For just the second time in his career, the 21-year-old will contest a third round match at the Australian Open. One thing we are certain about, there will be a Canadian in the second week of this year’s Happy Slam.
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Auger-Aliassime Also Beat An Aussie
In almost a near-reflection of Shapovalov’s dominance, Felix Auger-Aliassime kept up his fantastic start to the season with an easy win over Australia’s James Duckworth to set up a reunion with his fellow Canadian in the third round on Friday.
Auger-Aliassime was not expected to encounter much resistance against Duckworth, a player who had beaten him while he was still an upstart. He is yet to drop a set in his two matches at the Australian Open, which is quite impressive after he came into the tournament on the back of a devastating finals loss at the Murray River Open.
But that defeat to Dan Evans seems like a distant memory. Also to compound this good run, the 20-year-old did not own a single win at the year’s first Major, failing to qualify in 2019 and falling to Ernests Gulbis in a shocker last season.
Much like Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime was at his vintage best this time. His serve has only been broken once in two matches here (Stebe in round one), and against Duckworth he did not face a single break point in the whole match. He used his superior firepower to smash 38 winners to just 23 unforced errors.
Shapovalov v Auger-Aliassime Prediction and Tip
This should be a cracking contest between two of Canada’s best. Shapovalov starts as a slight favorite given his recent record against Auger-Aliassime at the Majors. The manner of his victory over Sinner should not be discounted too. But his countryman, one year his junior, is also on an incredible run of form. Expect this to be a classic.
Tip: Five sets in the match: 5/2 (bet365)
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The 2021 Australian Open will be played from February 8 to 21. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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