Daniil Medvedev will meet Denis Shapovalov in the Round of 16 of the 2022 Western and Southern Open. The match will be played on Thursday August 18th, 2022 at 1:00pm EST.
Daniil Medvedev is the world number one and is the top seed here at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. 2019 Cincinnati champion Medvedev is here with a point to prove as he gears up for his title defense at the US Open. After receiving a First Round bye, he was troubled by Botic van de Zandschulp in the Second Round before winning in two tough sets. It was a quite wasteful performance from the Russian however, even having to save set points in the second set. He is the big favorite here against Denis Shapovalov who has been having a miserable time, but if he is to win this tournament he will have to improve.
Denis Shapovalov is ranked 21st in the world and is unseeded here at the Cincinnati Open. The Canadian has been having a terrible year by his high standards, and desperately wants to finish the year with a bang. He rebounded from a 6-3, 4-1 hole to defeat Tommy Paul in three sets, a much needed confidence boost after entering this event with just one win from his past ten matches. He undoubtedly has the talent to defeat the top payers but his confidence seems shot and he seems to be mentally all over the place. A win here would be huge for him, but it seems very unlikely.
This match appears a lot closer on paper than it will be in reality. Denis Shapovalov has an explosive game and in theory should be able to trouble the world number one, but in this sort of form there is only one result possible. Daniil Medvedev is still finding his groove but he should have few problems getting the win here. His ultra consistent game will give Shapovalov fits and I expect Medvedev to win in two relatively easy sets, moving on to the Quarter-Finals at the Western and Southern Open yet again.