Wild cards Denis Shapovalov and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will get underway in Atlanta on Monday with intriguing first-round matchups. Shapovalov awaits David Goffin, while Fokina faces Arthur Cazaux.
(WC) Denis Shapovalov vs. David Goffin
Goffin and Shapovalov will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Atlanta Open on Monday afternoon. They have split their two previous encounters, both on hard courts; Goffin prevailed in pair of tiebreakers at the 2019 Tokyo tournament before Shapovalov got the job done 6-7(0), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 at the 2020 U.S. Open.
Both players could really use a win–and a deep run in Atlanta. Goffin comes in at 98th in the rankings, with a horrendous 3-10 match record on the main tour in 2024. The 33-year-old Belgian’s most recent match was a complete disaster, as he squandered a 5-0 fifth-set lead over Tomas Machac in the Wimbledon opening round. Shapovalov’s ranking is even worse (No. 139), but he is in significantly better form. The 25-year-old Canadian has advanced at least one round in each of his last four tour-level starts, including third-round performances at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Shapovalov appears to be playing well enough to take advantage of a struggling opponent.
Pick: Shapovalov in 3
Arthur Cazaux vs. (5) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Like Shapovalov and Goffin, Davidovich Fokina and Cazaux are making their Atlanta debuts in the final year of the event. Davidovich Fokina’s entry makes sense, as he is low on wins–and on matches in general–with the U.S. Open a little more than a month away. The 41st-ranked Spaniard has not won more than a single match at any tournament since Dubai in February and he has made only one start (a first-round exit at Queen’s Club) since Roland Garros due to a back injury.
Cazaux came out of the 2024 gates on fire, capturing a Challenger title in Noumea and then making a fourth-round run at the Australian Open. Thus the 21-year-old Frenchman made a name for himself on tour. Although he has cooled off a bit since, he did well to pick up a win in the Wimbledon main draw–outlasting Zizou Bergs in a fifth-set tiebreaker. It’s not saying a whole lot, but Cazaux has more momentum of the two heading into the U.S. hard-court swing.
Pick: Cazaux in 3