Denis Shapovalov vs. Gilles Simon 10/21/20 - ATP Cologne Ii, Germany Men Singles Picks & Predictions
Last Updated: 10/20/2020 at 11:28 AM ET
Denis Shapovalov will start his tournament in the second round of the 2020 ATP BETT1HULKS Championship in Germany. At this stage of the tournament, Shapovalov is set to play against Gilles Simon from France.
Denis Shapovalov received a bye in the opening round of the tournament due to his high seed. It has been a good few weeks for Denis Shapovalov as he enters this tournament after a strong St Petersburg Open campaign where he made it into the semifinals. During the tournament, Shapovalov defeated the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Ilya Ivashka but was eventually defeated by Andrey Rublev. Shapovalov also made the semifinals of the Italian Open prior to the start of the French Open. Things are looking good for Shapovalov as he enters this tournament.
On the other side of the coin, Gilles Simon enters this match having won his first-round fixture in straight sets against Jordan Thompson from Australia. It was a strong performance by Simon as he won 91% of his service games and 3 return games. The serving was especially strong as Simon hit 5 aces and won over 70% of his service points. This is expected to be a much tougher match for Giles Simon as he is playing against the number 3 seed.
Denis Shapovalov and Gilles Simon have played each other twice in the past with Shapovalov winning on both occasions. The most recent match between these two players was earlier in the season at the French Open where Denis Shapovalov won in 4 sets.
Looking at all the information, I am going to pick Denis Shapovlaov to win this match. Shapovalov is the stronger player and he enters this match in strong form following strong performances at Rome and St Petersburg. With that in mind, I see Denis Shapovalov winning this match in straight sets.
