It is the battle of the one-handed backhands here in the 2020 Rome Open quarterfinals as Grigor Dimitrov meets Denis Shapovalov on Saturday, September 19th 2020. Will it be the more experienced Dimitrov or the up and coming Canadian to come through this tight encounter?
Denis Shapovalov put on a solid performance yesterday against Ugo Humbert, beating the Frenchman in 3 tight sets and booking his spot in the quarterfinals here in Rome. Shapovalov is starting to get better on clay, however, you can see signs that he is still not 100% comfortable on the red dirt. Shapovalov has been in superb form in recent weeks, reaching both the quarterfinals here in Rome and at the US Open a week ago. Shapovalov will be looking to reach the semis here and he knows he can do it if he gives it his all here.
Grigor Dimitrov is beginning to look rejuvenated on the clay dominating all of his opponents in straight sets except for Jannik Sinner who he beat in 3. Dimitrov put on a solid performance against Sinner, coming back from a set down to defeat the Italian star. Dimitrov will want to continue this run of form and he will definitely be motivated to get the job done here against Denis Shapovalov. Dimitrov has struggled with confidence and consistency over the last few years, however, we all know that when he is on top of his game, it is hard for any player to stop him from winning.
This is going to be the third meeting between both players, with Grigor Dimitrov leading the head to head 2-0. They met earlier this year where Dimitrov beat him in straight sets in Rotterdam. Dimitrov is not the favourite coming into this match shockingly as the odds are even on both sides, however, I back the Bulgarian to get the job done here in Rome. Shapovalov is a solid player, but you can tell he is not completely comfortable on clay as of yet. On the other hand, Dimitrov loves playing on clay and he will use his experience to help him come through here.