Delray Beach R1 previews and predictions: Del Potro vs. Chardy, Shapovalov vs. Karlovic

Juan Martin Del Potro will be back in action for the first time since the Australian Open when he takes the court for an opening-round contest in Delray Beach against Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday. Denis Shapovalov and Ivo Karlovic are also kicking off their campaigns.

Jeremy Chardy vs. (2) Juan Martin Del Potro

Del Potro and Chardy will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Delray Beach Open on Tuesday night. This will be their second consecutive meeting in Delray Beach, where Del Potro got the job done 6-2, 6-3 in 2016 to take a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head series. The Argentine also dominated 6-1, 6-3 at the 2012 Cincinnati Masters before Chardy scored a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-3 upset in the third round of the 2013 Australian Open.

Although Del Potro finds himself in the top 10 thanks to a stellar 2017 campaign, his current season is off to an unspectacular start. The 29-year-old Argentine fell to Roberto Bautista Agut in the Auckland final and he got blown out by Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in the last 32 of the Aussie Open. Chardy is clearly on the downside of his career even though he should not be too much past his prime as a 31-year-old. The Frenchman is struggling down at No. 96 in the world and he is just 2-3 in 2018 with a dreadful straight-set loss to Tennys Sandgren in Melbourne and an even worse 7-5, 7-6(5) setback against Adrian Menendez-Maceiras in last week’s New York second round. Even though Del Potro may be rusty, he should be able to take advantage of a slumping opponent.

Pick: Del Potro in 2

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Denis Shapovalov vs. Ivo Karlovic

Shapovalov will be getting a look at the Karlovic serve for the first time in his career when they collide on Tuesday. The 18-year-old Canadian is looking to build on a breakout 2017 season in which he made a memorable run to the Montreal semifinals and reached the U.S. Open fourth round shortly thereafter. Already up to No. 46 in the rankings, Shapovalov is a decent 3-4 this season following multiple bad draws that saw him lose to Kyle Edmund (Brisbane first round), Del Potro (Auckland second round), and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (7-5 in the fifth in the Australian Open second round).

Obviously one of the best in the sport at keeping points extremely short thanks to overwhelming serves, Karlovic is still going relatively strong at 38 years old. The 78th-ranked Croat has endured some physical problems in recent times but he is healthy and sporting a solid 5-3 record this season, which includes back-to-back five-set marathons at the Aussie Open (beat Yuichi Sugita 12-10, lost to Andreas Seppi 9-7). Karlovic is coming off a quarterfinal performance in New York, where he ousted Jared Donaldson and Ryan Harrison before succumbing to Sam Querrey. Like most Karlovic matches, this one could go either way–but it would not be a surprise to see Shapovalov come up with just enough one-handed backhand passing shots to survive a competitive contest.

Pick: Shapovalov in 3

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