Barcelona Open 2023: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Denis Shapovalov, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (14) Denis Shapovalov

Tournament: Barcelona Open 2023

Date: Thursday, April 20

Round: Third Round (Round of 16)

Venue: Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, Spain

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €2,772,480

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

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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Denis Shapovalov preview

Tsitsipas is up and running in Barcelona.

Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on 14th seed Denis Shapovalov in a juicy third-round showdown at the Barcelona Open on Thursday.

World No. 5 Tsitsipas opened his campaign with a straight-sets win over Pedro Cachin to improve to 17-5 on the season following a quarterfinal run at the Monte-Carlo Masters last week.

Tsitsipas started the year with a bang, winning his first ten matches before losing in the Australian Open final (to Novak Djokovic). After early exits in Rotterdam and Indian Wells, Tsitsipas made the third round in Miami before his title defense at the Principality last week ended in the last eight.

The Greek has a 13-4 record in Barcelona. He has reached two finals (2018, 2021), losing to Rafael Nadal on both occasions. He lost to eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals last year.

Meanwhile, the 28th-ranked Shapovalov improved to a rather underwhelming 7-7 on the season by beating Jozef Kovalik in straight sets in his opener. The 24-year-old Canadian has had a difficult year, reaching only one quarterfinal (Adelaide 1) in seven tournaments.

Coming into Barcelona, Shapovalov has won only one of his last four matches, including an opening-round exit at Indian Wells. The left-hander has a 2-2 record in Barcelona and made the Round of 16 in 2021 (lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime).

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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Denis Shapovalov head-to-head

Shapovalov has won three of his four meetings with Tsitsipas, including the last one at the now defunct ATP Cup. Crucially, though, the Greek won the pair's only claycourt meeting at Monte-Carlo five years ago.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Denis Shapovalov odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Stefanos Tsitsipas	-450	-1.5 (-160)	Over 20.5 (-110)
Denis Shapovalov	+310	+1.5 (+115)	Under 20.5 (-130)

(All odds as per BETMGM)

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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Denis Shapovalov prediction

Shapovalov is looking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.

Both Tsitsipas and Shapovalov have pretty similar gamestyles. They serve big, hit powerfully off either flank, and move well. Moreover, both players have single-handed backhands, a rarity on tour.

However, Tsitsipas takes the edge in terms of consistency and pedigree, especially on clay. While the Greek is 80-26 on red dirt, winning four titles and reaching the Roland Garros final, Shapovalov is only 29-24, with no title.

Shapovalov has got Tsitsipas' number, but all three of his wins have come on hardcourts. Tsitsipas put in an impressive shift against Cachin in his opener, conceding only six games, facing no break points and converting all three of his. Shapovalov, meanwhile, was also impressive in his opener, dropping only seven games against Kovalik.

While Shapovalov remains a dangerous and unpredictable player, even on clay, Tsitsipas should win this one.

Pick: Tsitsipas in straight sets