Can Shapovalov keep his cool?
We saw some signs of frustration in his match against Mannarino...
Shapovalov was really struggling on return early on against Mannarino (winning just 4 points on return in a set that went to a tiebreak...), but he managed to do a bit more damage in the second and third sets. It seemed like he adjusted a bit and perhaps got more of a physical advantage against Mannarino. It was not the best match from Denis's side, but I still want to give him credit for managing to pull out a win. It was a bit the same against Griekspoor in his first round... he was struggling to get much going on return, but was the better player in the key moments and won that match in straight sets.
Hurkacz has perhaps been flying under the radar a bit... after all, his matches have not been the most exciting, with two huge servebot battles against Damm and Lloyd Harris. I'm not seeing some monster-level play from Hurkacz, but he is playing solid and being quite clutch, which is extra important in these fast conditions. Whenever it is this fast, Hurkacz becomes a pain to play, since his serving and consistency don't really open up a lot of chances on return. I don't really love this matchup for Shapovalov... we prefer him a lot more against opponents that he can overpower, especially if they have a weaker serve. I also trust Hurkacz slightly more in the big moment! Denis has the higher ceiling, but he is also the one who is more likely to pull off double faults in a tiebreak...


