Barcelona Open 2021: Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (7) Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy

Date: 20 April 2021

Tournament: Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Barcelona, Spain

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Red Clay

Prize money: €1,565,480

Match timing: Approx. 5 pm local time, 8.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy preview

The second round of the 2021 Barcelona Open will see seventh seed Denis Shapovalov take on France's Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday.

Shapovalov, the World No. 14, has had a bit of an up-and-down season so far. The Canadian beat Jannik Sinner and Bernard Tomic en route to a third-round appearance at the Australian Open, where he exited to countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime. He then produced a string of fine performances in Dubai but failed to go all the way, suffering a shock defeat to Lloyd Harris in the semifinals.

Shapovalov was dealt another setback after that as he lost to eventual champion Hubert Hurkacz in the third round of the Miami Masters. The 22-year-old is now playing on clay for the first time this year, having skipped the recently-concluded Monte Carlo Masters to get some rest.

Jeremy Chardy plays a backhand

World No. 51 Jeremy Chardy, meanwhile, has been in good form of late. The 34-year-old reached the last-four at Antalya and Melbourne 2, losing to Alexander Bublik and Dan Evans respectively.

Chardy then had another good tournament at the Rotterdam Open, where he stretched eventual champion Andrey Rublev to three sets in the quarterfinals. The Frenchman followed that up with another strong campaign in Dubai, where he upset Alex de Minaur and Karen Khachanov before losing to Shapovalov himself.

Chardy has seemingly carried his rich vein of form into the European clay swing too. He beat the in-form Alexander Bublik in the first round at Monte Carlo (before losing to Grigor Dimitrov in the second), and on Monday he beat Doha Open winner Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Barcelona first round.

Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy head-to-head

Denis Shapovalov beat Jeremy Chardy at this year's Dubai Tennis Championships

Denis Shapovalov leads Jeremy Chardy by a margin of 3-0 in the head-to-head. Shapovalov's wins over the Frenchman have come on either hardcourt or grass, meaning that the second-round match in Barcelona will be their first meeting on clay.

Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy prediction

Denis Shapovalov springs for a return

Denis Shapovalov has become a much more stable player under the guidance of former top 10 player Mikhail Youzhny. Shapovalov always had a big forehand and quick hands, but recently he has also shown significant improvement in point construction - a quality that might be particularly useful on clay.

Jeremy Chardy, on the other hand, doesn't possess the same kind of variety that Shapovalov does. But the Frenchman is pretty strong from the baseline; he uses his forehand to move his opponents around, and doesn't often make unforced errors under pressure.

Having said that, Shapovalov is coming in well-rested and eager to prove a point after his Miami loss. The 22-year-old's weight of shot should be enough to help him dictate the tempo of the game and outhit the French veteran.

Prediction: Denis Shapovalov to win in straight sets.