Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Denis Shapovalov vs Taro Daniel preview, head-to-head and prediction

Match details

Fixture: (6) Denis Shapovalov vs Taro Daniel.

Date: 23 February 2022.

Tournament: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2022.

Round: Second Round (Round of 16).

Venue: Dubai, UAE.

Category: ATP 500.

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.

Prize money: $2,794,840

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

Denis Shapovalov vs Taro Daniel preview

Sixth seed Denis Shapovalov takes on Japan's Taro Daniel in the second round of the 2022 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship on Wednesday.

After a very impressive Australian summer where he won the ATP Cup with Canada and reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Shapovalov has had some underwhelming performances. He has racked up wins over the likes of Alexander Zverev and Pablo Carreno Busta this year but inconsistency remains an issue.

The Canadian lost to Jiri Lehecka in the first round in Rotterdam, and then bowed out to Arthur Rinderknech in the quarterfinals in Doha.

He advanced to the second round in Dubai with a nervy 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win against Marton Fucsovics.

Taro Daniel at the 2022 Australian Open

Daniel has had a solid start to 2022, with a 3-3 win-loss record so far. The Japanese made headlines at the Australian Open last month when he dismantled former World No. 1 Andy Murray in straight sets in the second round.

Daniel set up a second round encounter against Shapovalov after another upset against David Goffin in the opener.

Denis Shapovalov vs Taro Daniel head-to-head

The second round encounter in Dubai is the second match between the two players. Denis Shapovalov leads the head-to-head 1-0 over Taro Daniel.

Shapovalov took down the Japanese in straight sets in the second round of the 2019 Australian Open.

Denis Shapovalov vs Taro Daniel prediction

Denis Shapovalov at the 2022 Australian Open

Denis Shapovalov comes into the match as the on-paper favorite, and will look to build on his momentum after showing plenty of fight to get past a tricky opening round.

At his best, the Canadian uses his aggression and firepower to outplay his opponents rather than craft his points, a strategy that is well-suited to the conditions in Dubai. While he's struggled with double faults and unforced errors, reigning it in a little will help the Canadian's case

Daniel has proven his ability to go toe-to-toe with higher-ranked opponents in the past few months. He's a very consistent player off of both ends and moves well, with his ability to rally being a frustrating asset for his opponents. However, Shapovalov's firepower should be enough to take him through to the next round if he doesn't spray errors and keeps the double faults in check.

Prediction: Denis Shapovalov in straight sets.