Quarterfinal spots will be at stake on Wednesday in Doha, where Montpellier champion David Goffin is going up against Taylor Fritz. Meanwhile, an all-Canadian affair features Denis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil.
(6) David Goffin vs. Taylor Fritz
Goffin and Fritz will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday. Their only previous encounter came two years ago in Cincinnati, where Goffin got the job done 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The 14th-ranked Belgian has to be feeling good about his game right now, as well, after picking up some much-needed momentum with a recent title in Montpellier. Although Goffin lost in the Rotterdam second round to Jeremy Chardy, he bounced back by beating Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday.
Fritz his playing his first tournament since infamously losing to Novak Djokovic in an Australian Open showdown that had it all–five sets, a Djokovic injury, and the fans being force to leave prior to the fifth set. The 33rd-ranked American opened in Doha by defeating Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(5), 6-4 on Monday. A step up in competition may be the end for Fritz, who doesn’t have quite enough firepower to win a necessary amount of free points against Goffin’s consistency.
Pick: Goffin in 2
Vasek Pospisil vs. (4) Denis Shapovalov
Shapovalov and Pospisil will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers (third at the ATP level) when they meet again on Wednesday. Despite the 2020 campaign being much abbreviated, the two Canadians still faced each other twice; Shapovalov scored a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory in Auckland before Pospisil prevailed 6-2, 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of Montpellier. Shapovalov also won 6-3, 6-3 at the 2017 Guadalajara Challenger.
Ranked 11th in the world, Shapovalov earned a first-round bye in Doha as the No. 4 seed. Thus he is playing his first match since the Australian Open, where he ousted Jannik Sinner and Bernard Tomic before falling to good friend and countryman Felix Auger-Aliassime. Pospisil made routine 6-4, 6-4 work of qualifier Christopher O’Connell on Tuesday for his first win of 2020. The 30-year-old can be dangerous, especially with a match already under his belt, but he would probably rather play this matchup on a fast indoor hard court or grass.
Pick: Shapovalov in 3
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Fritz in 3; Shapo in 2.