Second-round matches begin on Friday at the ATP Shanghai Masters, meaning top players will be in action. This article features the match between Ben Shelton and Denis Shapovalov, alongside three other exciting battles. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate for day 3. But who will advance?
ATP Shanghai Day 3 Predictions
Nicolas Jarry vs Yibing Wu
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Nicolas Jarry has won just one match since reaching the final at the Rome Masters. He gave a good fight to Jannik Sinner in Beijing, and if he can reach that level, he has a good shot of winning this second-round match. Jarry made the quarterfinals last year at this tournament, which should also provide him with confidence. Yibing Wu won his first tour-level match in over a year, defeating Sumit Nagal easily in the first round. Wu is an extremely talented player, but injuries have kept him at bay. The Chinese should give a stern test to Jarry, but a win might be slightly out of reach.
Prediction: Jarry in 3
Matteo Arnaldi vs Zachary Svajda
Head-to-Head: Arnaldi 1-0 Svajda
Matteo Arnaldi has taken some tough losses recently against solid players. However, this is a winnable match for him and should help him get some rhythm before facing higher-ranked players. Zachary Svajda did well to win his first-round match against Adrian Mannarino but his straight-sets loss to Aranaldi at the US Open this year doesn’t give me much hope for him. The Italian should see this through.
Prediction: Arnaldi in 3
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Alexandre Muller
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Felix Auger-Aliassime lost his opening-round match at the Shanghai Masters last year and will look to make a better start this time. The end of the season is a strong point for the Canadian as the fast courts suit his game style. Alexandre Muller had a slow start in the first round but recovered brilliantly to dispatch Luca Nardi in the last two sets. However, Nardi was hitting unforced errors every other point and the Canadian won’t do that. Muller will need to have another strong performance on serve to keep this close.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 2
Ben Shelton vs Denis Shapovalov
Head-to-Head: Shelton 2-0 Shapovalov
The last time these two met, Denis Shapovalov was defaulted while being down match points. It was a very close match just like their five-setter battle at Wimbledon this year. Shapovalov is playing some good tennis this week while Shelton has played a lot of long matches recently. This is a good opportunity for Shapovalov to get the win, especially if Shelton is not at 100%. However, it should still be a close match and whoever keeps their composure should win.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 3
Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac – USA TODAY Sports
