San Diego R2 previews and predictions: Auger-Aliassime vs. Dimitrov, Shapovalov vs. Fritz

A huge day of second-round action in San Diego includes Felix Auger-Aliassime, Grigor Dimitrov, Denis Shapovalov, Casper Ruud, Andy Murray, and many others. Auger-Aliassime and Dimitrov are squaring off, while Shapovalov is facing Taylor Fritz.

Grigor Dimitrov vs. (3) Felix Auger-Aliassime

Auger-Aliassime and Dimitrov will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they collide in round two of the San Diego Open on Thursday. Both of their previous encounters have been dominated by Auger-Aliassime; 6-4, 6-4 at the 2019 Queen’s Club tournament and 6-4, 6-2 last year on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam.

Nothing suggests that Dimitrov is suddenly going to turn the tide. The 30-year-old Bulgarian is just 15-14 this season and 3-5 in his last eight matches dating back to Wimbledon. He has not defeated anyone ranked as high as Auger-Aliassime (No. 11) since the Australian Open–and that was at the expense of a hobbled Dominic Thiem. As for Auger-Aliassime, he reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. The 21-year-old Canadian should remain on a roll as he bids for a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals.

Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 2

(4) Denis Shapovalov vs. Taylor Fritz

Shapovalov is looking to end his season on a much-needed high note as he comes down the stretch of the final month. The 13th-ranked Canadian has been a complete disaster since making a run to the Wimbledon semifinals. He lost his opening match in Gstaad, Toronto, and Cincinnati before falling to Lloyd Harris 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in round three of the U.S. Open. For whatever it’s worth, Shapovalov also got blown out by Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-0 at the Laver Cup.

Up first for Shapovalov in San Diego is Fritz, who trails the head-to-head series 3-1. However, the 39th-ranked American won their most recent meeting earlier this year on the hard courts of Doha via a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 decision. Fritz wasn’t great this summer, but he at least managed to reach semifinals in Los Cabos and Atlanta. He hails from southern California, too, so the crowd will be behind him in a big way. This is a good opportunity for Fritz to take advantage of a struggling opponent and pull off an upset.

Pick: Fritz in 3