Miami Open 2022: Denis Shapovalov vs Lloyd Harris preview, head-to-head and prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (12) Denis Shapovalov v Lloyd Harris

Date: 26 March 2022.

Tournament: Miami Open.

Round: Second round (Round of 64).

Venue: Miami, Florida, USA.

Category: ATP Masters 1000.

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.

Prize money: $8,584,055.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot.

Denis Shapovalov vs Lloyd Harris preview

After an opening-round bye, Canadian Denis Shapovalov will take on South Africa's Lloyd Harris in the second round of the 2022 Miami Open on Saturday.

Shapovalov made a strong start to the season, helping Canada win the ATP Cup with Canada and reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. He defeated Alexander Zverev and Reilly Opelka en route to the last eight in Melbourne, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in five sets.

Since then, however, his form has been on the downslide. The Canadian lost early in Rotterdam and Doha, to Jiri Lehecka and Arthur Rinderknech respectively. He then lost in the semifinal to Jiri Vesely in Dubai.

After a third-round defeat by Reilly Opelka at Indian Wells, Shapovalov will be hoping to turn his fortunes around in the second leg of the Sunshine Double.

Lloyd Harris at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open

Lloyd Harris made a name for himself last year with wins over top players like Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal, as well as an ATP 500 title in Dubai. However, he has failed to kick on this season.

The South African has managed just three wins so far, one of which was against the World No. 650 in the Davis Cup.

However, he did look impressive in his first-round win against Facundo Bagnis in Miami and will hope to carry that momentum into his clash with Shapovalov.

Denis Shapovalov vs Lloyd Harris head-to-head

The second-round encounter in Miami will be the third meeting between the two players, with Lloyd Harris leading the head-to-head 2-0 over Denis Shapovalov.

The South African defeated Shapovalov in a tight three-set semifinal in Dubai last year and then trumped the Canadian in straight sets at the US Open.

Denis Shapovalov vs Lloyd Harris prediction

Both players are in dismal form, making this a hard match to call.

Shapovalov's game is quite hit-and-miss. The Canadian has a powerful first serve and forehand, but he lacks patience and tends to pull the trigger too early in rallies. His second serve can be shaky at times.

Harris also has a huge first serve and forehand, but he too tends to leak unforced errors when his game is not firing on all cylinders.

Ultimately, the match could be decided by a few points here and there. Shapovalov has more matches under his belt this season and that could just tilt the scales in his favor.

Prediction: Denis Shapovalov to win in three sets.