Denis Shapovalov will be back in action on the ATP Tour on Monday from a tournament in Bucharest. The Canadian's efforts to be relevant for big matches on tour have failed so far this season as he makes his comeback from a 2023 injury. Shapovalov will face France's Corentin Moutet at the 2024 ATP Bucharest tennis tournament in what will be a first-round match in the draw. The event is a clay-court tournament that is known as the 2024 Tiriac Open. The oddsmakers with Unibet have the match as a coin toss with Shapovalov and Moutet both priced at -111 (Unibet). My Shapovalov vs Moutet prediction is that the former player will win this match.
Schedule of Play: Right-click/Open in the New Tab to check match times: subject to change
Denis Shapovalov vs Corentin Moutet Head-to-Head Series
These two players faced one another one time. The match took place in 2021 in Estoril, it was played on outdoor/clay conditions, and Moutet won the match in three sets. The Shapovalov vs Moutet h2h is 0-1 in favor of the latter player accordingly.
The result of that match might be factoring into the odds a little. Almost all pundits would surely consider Shapovalov to be the superior talent. But so far this season, Shapovalov has only been the 149th-best player on tour (ie. year-to-date rankings). Moutet has not been dynamite but his year-to-date ranking is 98th. He would not be more than 51 spots higher than Shapovalov unless the French player was playing significantly better so far in 2024.
The Draw: Right-click/Open the link in a new tab for the draw for the 2024 Tiriac Open
Denis Shapovalov's Recent Matches and Results
Shapovalov was idle last week. The week prior, he was in the ATP Houston draw but lost in the first round to Marcos Giron. The match was not too competitive with a 2-6, 5-7 result against the Canadian. Shapovalov did go 3-2 in Indian Wells and Miami combined, including a win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. However, his improving form did not transfer over to clay immediately. It is hard to know what to expect from the Canadian heading into the small event in Romania.
Corentin Moutet's Recent Matches and Results
Moutet was in Monte-Carlo last week. He won a couple of matches in the qualifying draw. In the main draw, he went out to Alexei Popyrin but was competitive in the opening two sets of the match.
Previously, Moutet was in the Marrakech draw, where he lost in the first round. He did perform well in a challenger in Naples in late March. However, the competition was light. The highlight of his season so far was making the semifinals of the ATP Santiago event. He beat Nicolas Jarry in that tournament, the best-serving clay-courter, according to the ATP's serve-rating statistics.
What stands out with Moutet so far in 2024 is that he has only entered clay-court tournaments. I'm not sure there will be another player of a similar ranking or higher who that could be said of.
Corentin Moutet
Serving ability: 51st/clay/last 52 weeks
Return-of-serve ability: 78th/clay/last 52 weeks
Shapovalov vs Moutet Prediction: Shapovalov wins
This match is a coin toss by betting odds with points in favor of each player seemingly balanced. Anyone who has followed tennis would know that Shapovalov has more pure talent. However, Moutet's clay-court preference, his single win in the head-to-head series, and Moutet's better season-to-date results are points in the French player's favor.
The question with this match is simply if you think Shapovalov has improved to a higher level than what we've seen from him so far this season. My thinking is that the Canadian is worth taking at -111 (Unibet). I think the two weeks off he has had since Houston ended will have helped him make the adjustments from the hard court to the clay court. My recommendation is the Canadian to win this match.
Moutet vs Shapovalov prediction: Draw at the 2024 Tiriac Open
This section of the draw also has Nuno Borges and Stan Wawrinka. Wawrinka is really starting to fall off the deep end on tour. You have to think Borges, the seventh seed in the tournament, will advance to face the Shapovalov vs Moutet winner.
Our featured article: All previews for upcoming tennis matches!
