Carlos Alcaraz vs Denis Shapovalov, Preview and Predictions, Indian Wells

Interesting match today when defending champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on in-form Denis Shapovalov in the round of 32 of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event.

The match is scheduled for March 10 at 6:00 PM local time on Stadium 1.

So what can we expect of this clash and what is our predictions?

Alcaraz vs Shapovalov

Alcaraz, no 2 seed, had a good opening round against Quentin Halys, dominated the match and came out with a 6-4, 6-2 win. The Spaniard has won 12 out of 14 matches so far this season and is looking for that consistency that has been missing at times during his career. So far it looks promising, he’s winning a lot of his first-serve points (he won 95% of first-serve points against Halys) and has made it beyond the round of 32 in each tournament (singles).

Denis Shapovalov has shown his very high level more than once recently, a very dangerous player to meet. Since his early exit in Melbourne, the Canadian has put together some strong performances at big tournaments.

He reached this round by beating Adam Walton in straight sets. Earlier this season we’ve seen Shapovalov win the title in Dallas and also played a semifinal in Acapulco. The 25-year-old 9-1 in his last ten matches.

H2H

This is just the second meeting between these two players. Alcaraz won their only match on tour, pretty comfortably, at the French Open round of 32 back in 2023 (6-1, 6-4, 6-2).

Predictions and Odds

No question that this will be a tough test for Alcaraz and maybe the odds of the Spaniard (1.20 or -500) seem a bit low. A win for Shapovalov gives 5.20 or +420.

The no 3 ranked Spaniard is heavy favorite to win the third straight title here in California, especially now when Zverev and Djokovic is out (and many other upsets as well, in fact, only half of the top ten remain). Alcaraz loves this event and the conditions suit him.

Both of these players are aggressive and good shot-makers, and it might come down to composure in the end. Shapovalov has rediscovered his form recently but has to keep down his unforced errors. We’ve seen him beat top ranked names recently such as Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz and Tomas Machac.

Prediction: Alcaraz to win and progress to the round of 16, his all-court game is better and we believe he will find a strategy to win this match against a strong and aggressive opponent. Might go for a hcp bet on the Canadian, +4.5 games at 1.83 (or -120).

Bet on the match here, and claim a nice bonus: