The Cincinnati Rematch

Can Mannarino put up more of a fight this time?

If you look at the scorelines of the last two Shapovalov - Mannarino matches, it doesn't look good for the Frenchman. 6-2, 6-1 in Washington in 2024, and 6-1, 6-4 recently in Cincinnati. So, let's talk a little bit about the recent match they played. Mannarino was struggling a lot with his serve, which was a pattern for him during the entire US hardcourt swing. Shapovalov was in great form (he also went on to play a very good match against Jodar afterward). More than anything, Shapovalov seems so comfortable against Mannarino (compared to a lot of other players). He was dominant in pretty much every aspect, controlling the match and playing with a good margin, moving Adrian around (he did this against Kecmanovic as well). I remember that Mannarino did get a bit of a gift at the start of the second set to go up a break, but then got broken several times himself.

Now, his improved serving this week should help out... starting every service point in neutral was not exactly ideal. We saw two good matches from him against Shang and Tabilo already, but Shapovalov is definitely playing at a different level and is more comfortable with the matchup. It's not often we see Denis this consistent for such a long stretch of time... every part of his game is clicking. However, it's worth keeping in mind that the conditions and everything related are not the same here in Asia as we saw in the US. Shapovalov has maintained and confirmed his form, whereas Mannarino has taken a step forward... that means he should be more competitive this time... right?