Dubai Tennis Championships 2021: Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details:

Fixture: (3) Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy

Date: 18 March 2021

Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2021

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $1,897,805

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy preview

Jeremy Chardy came from a set down to beat Karen Khachanov at Dubai

The quarterfinals of the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships will see third seed Denis Shapovalov take on veteran Jeremy Chardy on Thursday.

Shapovalov, the World No. 12, started his campaign at the ATP 500-level tournament with a commanding win over familiar foe Jan-Lennard Struff. The Canadian was in complete control of the proceedings as he beat Struff 6-1 6-3, despite having trailed 1-4 in the head-to-head meetings prior to arriving in Dubai.

Shapovalov then produced another excellent performance to beat 13th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. The 21-year-old blasted forehand winners at will and won a whopping 90% of his first-serve points in his 6-4, 6-3 win on Wednesday.

World No. 53 Jeremy Chardy, meanwhile, has also 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 week at the Rotterdam Open, where he stretched eventual champion Andrey Rublev to three sets in the quarterfinals.

The Frenchman has seemingly carried his rich vein of form into the Middle Eastern city. After beating Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round, Chardy came back from a set down in each of his next two matches to defeat NextGen stars Alex de Minaur and Karen Khachanov.

Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy head-to-head

Denis Shapovalov leads Jeremy Chardy by a margin of 2-0 in the head-to-head. Both of Shapovalov's wins over the Frenchman came in 2018.

Denis Shapovalov vs Jeremy Chardy prediction

Denis Shapovalov hits a backhand

Under the tutelage of former top 10 player Mikhail Youzhny, Denis Shapovalov has become a much steadier player than before. The Canadian has always been a great shot-maker, but the recent improvement in his serve has bolstered his game further; he is now winning a lot of free points off his accurate first serve.

Jeremy Chardy does not possess the same kind of artillery that Denis Shapovalov does. But the Frenchman is pretty solid from the baseline; he can change direction easily and also hit with good depth off both wings.

But Chardy will need to return his younger opponent's serve with interest if he hopes to stay in the contest. Shapovalov is excellent at playing first-strike tennis, and if he gets a lot of short returns then he will likely be all over the 34-year-old.

Prediction: Denis Shapovalov to win in straight sets.