Will Misolic advance to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time?

Denis Shapovalov and Filip Misolic are separated by well over 100 places in the world rankings. On clay, however, the two players are certainly closer in terms of quality. While the Canadian definitely considers red clay to be his weakest surface, his Austrian opponent grew up playing on clay. This makes the question of whether Shapovalov or Misolic will come out on top in Thursday’s second-round match at the French Open all the more interesting.

The fact is that the Styrian has already played four matches, including qualifying, on his way to the second round in Paris and has made a very good impression. The same can be said of Shapovalov, who didn’t give the actually good clay court player Pedro Martinez Portero a chance in the opening round. Nevertheless, ahead of the Shapovalov vs. Misolic match, it’s safe to predict that the former top ten player is definitely beatable on the slowest of all tennis surfaces.

Denis Shapovalov – Statistics & current form

Denis Shapovalov was once considered a huge talent on the tennis circuit. The 26-year-old Canadian, who was born in Tel Aviv, has shown flashes of his talent from time to time. However, he has yet to achieve major success in his career. Nevertheless, it must be noted that the left-hander was ranked among the top ten in the world just over four years ago, has already celebrated six tournament victories on the ATP Tour and has reached at least the quarter-finals in three of four Grand Slam tournaments.

Shapovalov wants to build on his performance in round 1

Only at the French Open in Paris did he reach the third round twice, which was the best he could manage. This fact coincides with the aforementioned assessment that clay is clearly the 26-year-old’s weakest surface. The Canadian loves speed and defines himself by his strong serve and brutal forehand. The slower the surface, the greater his impatience. This ultimately results in too many unforced errors, which could also be a problem on Thursday. I think it’s pretty unlikely that Shapovalov will win 3-0 against Misolic. Advancing in four sets seems more realistic and is also offered at attractive odds of 4.15 in the Interwetten app.

Despite his weakness on red clay, where the current world number 31 has won just two of six matches this season and failed to get past the first round in three of four tournaments, it should not be forgotten that “Shapo” delivered his best performance of the season on clay in the first round of this year’s French Open. Against the awkward Pedro Martinez Portero, the Canadian lost only five games, hit eight aces and won eight of his opponent’s service games. If he manages a similar performance on Thursday, the odds on the left-hander should be on every betting slip ahead of the Shapovalov vs. Misolic match.

Filip Misolic – Statistics & current form

While Shapovalov is finally aiming to reach the second week of Roland Garros, just reaching the second round is a huge success for Filip Misolic. Similar to last year, the Austrian fought his way through the grueling qualifiers and ultimately survived his opening match. Misolic defeated China’s Bu Yunchaokete in four close sets. After falling behind 0-1 in sets, the 23-year-old won the next two sets in tiebreaks.

If you want to bet again that there will be a tiebreak on Thursday, you can get odds of 1.85 on Shapovalov and Misolic. If the first set goes to a tiebreak, Bwin is offering a whopping 4.33 as the highest odds, which you can also play with Bwin’s $10 free bet.

Misolic is hoping to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time!

Misolic is currently ranked 153rd in the world. In addition, the Styrian has never reached the third round of a Grand Slam in his career. If he does manage to do so, it will probably only be on clay. The red clay is by far his favorite surface, having played and trained on it since childhood. It is no coincidence that the 23-year-old won the Challenger tournament in Prague in the run-up to the French Open. The right-hander did not drop a single set in the three qualifying matches for the second Grand Slam of the year.

However, it must be taken into account that none of his opponents were anywhere near the caliber of Denis Shapovalov. Misolic will therefore need to have a perfect day to reach a new career milestone. This would also be of great financial importance, as the prize money for reaching the third round in the French capital is €170,000. With this money, the Austrian can also invest more in himself, in an athletic trainer or his own physiotherapist. Currently, Misolic is largely managing without medical assistance, which could prove to be a negative factor against his Canadian opponent in view of the fifth competitive match in a few days.

Denis Shapovalov – Filip Misolic Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

The two pros have never faced each other in a direct duel before. However, if you compare their total prize money, there is a stark discrepancy. Shapovalov, a former top ten player, has earned over $12 million; Misolic has not even earned $600,000 playing tennis. In terms of experience, the Canadian also seems to have the advantage.

Denis Shapovalov – Filip Misolic French Open Tip

Filip Misolic, an absolute clay court expert, faces Denis Shapovalov, a former top ten player who is considered to be significantly stronger in terms of quality. However, the fact that the Canadian is only semi-comfortable on red clay means that we can expect an exciting second-round match at the French Open on Thursday. Although the 26-year-old left-hander prefers the hard courts of this world, he put in a strong performance in his opening match against Martinez Portero. Just in time for the second Grand Slam of the year, the current world number 31 seems to be getting back on track.

Although I believe the Styrian tennis hopeful can win a set against the favorite, after four intense matches in Paris, fatigue and a loss of strength could slowly become an issue. I am therefore torn between Shapovalov and Misolic, but I am leaning towards a victory for the Canadian, whether in three, four or five sets. The top odds are 1.54 and are available at Bet365 with seven out of a possible ten units.