Dusan Lajovic vs Denis Shapovalov Predictions and Odds: Australian Open

UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org  | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly

Dusan Lajovic and Denis Shapovalov face off in one of the opening day matches for the Australina Open 2023 men’s singles tournament. Check out our game preview and our betting tips for what promises to be a one-sided encounter.

These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.

Dusan Lajovic vs Denis Shapovalov – Match Predictions

Let’s be honest here: Shapovalov is the favorite here, and by a significant margin. While the Canadian enters the year with top 15 aspirations, Lajovic is a few years removed from his prime.

Denis Shapovalov -6.5 Games

As you can see from the betting lines alone, Shapovalov is the unquestioned favorite for this match. And we can still back him to cover this sizable handicap. The Canadian’s aggressive playing style shines on hard courts, while Lajovic is more of a clay specialist.

Expect Shapovalov to control the action from the start. As long as the Canadian keeps the usual unforced errors to a minimum, he should breeze past the first round, even if Lajovic isn’t such an easy opponent as it might sound at first.

Under 32.5 Games

This is most likely going to be a short match. Shapovalov and Lajovic have only met once, and the Canadian comfortably won the two-setter in 16 games. While the Australian Open is a slam, we can still expect Shapovalov to keep the match under 32.5 games even with an additional set as the difference in quality between the two players is simply so big and Lajovic will struggle to get games in this one.

Dusan Lajovic vs Denis Shapovalov Preview

Now that we have set our predictions and expectations for this Australian Open men’s singles match, let’s go through each player’s recent history.

Dusan Lajovic

Once a mainstay in Serbia’s Davis Cup lineups, Lajovic has been in a slow decline these past two years. In 2021, the Serb matched his career best slam result with a fourth round appearance in Melbourne. He has not made it past the second round of a major tournament since then.

Despite his solid showing two years ago, the 32-year old has never been much of a hard court player. Lajovic usually shines on clay, reaching the Monte Carlo Masters final in 2019. He spent the final months of 2022 in the Challenger circuit, with his last win at the ATP Tour level coming in July.

Denis Shapovalov

We are still waiting for Shapovalov’s big break, much like his close friend and compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime had in 2022. Shapovalov has been in and out of the top 20 for the past four years, and even managed to crack the top 10 once, but still lacks the consistency to continuously fight near the top.

Despite being part of Canada’s winning effort in the ATP Cup and the Davis Cup last year, Shapovalov is still missing a singles title above the ATP 250 level. Based on talent alone, he is always a player to keep an eye on. If he finally manages to cut down the unforced errors while balancing it with his aggressive style, the 23-year old Canadian has all the tools to become a star player. But for now, let’s keep the expectations in check for the first major of the year.

Lajovic vs Shapovalov Head to Head

As mentioned earlier, Shapovalov and Lajovic have only met once at the ATP pro level, in Madrid 2019. The Canadian won comfortably in two sets (6-1, 6-3).

Dusan Lajovic vs Denis Shapovalov Match Details

• How to watch the AO 2023 in the UK? For U.K. viewers, the 2023 Australian Open is going to be broadcast and streamed on Eurosport broadcast and on Discovery +.
• On which court will the match be played? The match will be played on 1573 Arena, the fifth biggest court in the Melbourne Park complex.
• At what time does the match start? This will be the second match of the day, so it won’t start before 1:00 am GMT on Monday, January 16th.

---

Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!