It’ll be an uphill battle in the first round of the French Open for Australian John Millman when he takes on young star Denis Shapovalov. Join The Roar for live scores from 7pm (AEST).
While the Aussie has had a splendid last six months, cracking the world rankings top 60, this will be a serious challenge on a surface Millman doesn’t love.
Despite that, his game actually suits clay. Millman is a grinder, someone who can stay in points and defend with the best of them. If he can stick to his guns and run Shapovalov around, he has a chance of causing a boilover in the first round.
The 28-year-old brings good form into the match, having won a challenger in Aix En during the lead-up. The final saw him get the better of fellow Aussie Bernard Tomic, and with plenty of other handy results throughout the season – including a final in Budapest – Millman has plenty of confidence heading into the second grand slam of the year.
Shapovalov is the youngest player to crack the ATP top 30 since 2005, when Richard Gasquet did it. Now, at just 19 years of age and in his first French Open campaign, the Canadian has plenty to prove.
He might be ranked 25, but he is prone to the odd outburst and things can turn against him quickly. Millman, being one of the more composed players on tour, will attempt to bring the worst out in his opponent.
At the top of his game though, Shapovalov is close to unstoppable. His form hasn’t been anywhere near as good as it was 12 months ago, but a semi-final run in Madrid and only being beaten by Rafael Nadal in Rome shows he is hitting the ball well.
The pair have never played previously, but Millman also has experience on his side here – about ten years of it.
Prediction
Millman will fight hard and it would hardly be a surprise to see him get it to a fifth set, but from there, Shapovalov should have the talent to take the match away and pick up a handy win.
Shapovalov in five sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of the first-round fixture from 7pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
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