Winston-Salem R2 previews and predictions: Shapovalov vs. Sandgren, Kecmanovic vs. Popyrin

Denis Shapovalov will kick off his Winston-Salem campaign when he goes up against Tennys Sandgren during second-round action on Tuesday. Miomir Kecmanovic, who also benefited from an opening bye, awaits up-and-coming Australian Alexei Popyrin.

Tennys Sandgren vs. (2) Denis Shapovalov

A Shapovalov vs. Andy Murray showdown would have been a popcorn match as Murray continues his singles comeback, but Sandgren had other ideas. The 73rd-ranked American took down the 32-year-old Scot 7-6(8), 7-5 during first-round action on Monday night. Sandgren’s reward is a third career meeting with Shapovalov on Tuesday, as the underdog hopes to get on the scoreboard following losses in their first two encounters. Shapovalov prevailed 7-6(4), 7-6(4) in the final of a 2016 Futures event before getting the job done 6-1, 6-4 last spring in Madrid.

Sandgren’s victory over Murray was a much-needed one, as he had been a disaster since the grass-court swing. The 28-year-old lost right away in Atlanta (Radu Albot), Los Cabos (Taro Daniel), and Cincinnati qualifying (Ivo Karlovic). Shapovalov is looking to even his 2019 record at 18-18. To go into the U.S. Open with a .500 record or better this season he will have to win multiple matches in Winston-Salem, something he has failed to do in 11 consecutive tournaments since Miami. But he should be able to win at least one, as Sandgren is struggling and coming off a difficult contest on Monday night.

Pick: Shapovalov in 3

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(13) Miomir Kecmanovic vs. Alexei Popyrin

Kecmanovic and Popyrin will also be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the second time at the ATP level when they collide again on Tuesday. Both of their previous encounters have gone the way of Kecmanovic, who prevailed 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 at the 2018 Lyon Challenger and 7-6(6), 6-3 three weeks ago in Washington, D.C. It has been an outstanding summer for the 19-year-old Serb, who finished runner-up in Antalya, won two matches in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C., and reached the Cincinnati third round as a qualifier.

These two up-and-comers have combined for 27 ATP-level match victories in 2019 (18 for Kecmanovic, nine for Popyrin), having previously combined for just one. Popyrin rise has slowed just a bit in recent weeks, but the early stages of his summer swing included a second-round result at Wimbledon as a qualifier and a quarterfinal showing in Atlanta. The 20-year-old Australian outlasted Thiago Monteiro 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(7) on Monday in Winston-Salem, so this will be a quick turnaround for him against a red-hot opponent.

Pick: Kecmanovic in 3

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