Carlos Alcaraz vs. Denis Shapovalov
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The fact that Alcaraz was 11-2 coming into Indian Wells wasn’t a surprise to any tennis fan. The fact that Shapovalov was 10-4? That’s not something that many, or any, would have seen coming from the Canadian, who began the year just inside the Top 60, and who dropped all the way to 140 in 2024.
But Shapovalov has rediscovered his swing over the past month, winning a title in Dallas, reaching a semifinal in Acapulco, and beating for Top 20ers: Ruud, Fritz, Paul, and Machac. “Shapo” is either hot or not, but when he’s the former, there are few more spectacular shotmakers, whether he’s hooking his lefty serve to the corners or rifling backhand winners from two feet off the ground.
Read More: Carlos Alcaraz makes winning start to 2025 Indian Wells title defense
On Monday, Shapovalov will meet an equally spectacular, and more successful, shotmaker in Alcaraz. The two have played once, two years ago at Roland Garros, and the Spaniard was an easy, straight-set winner. Now they’ll face off on a surface—the slow hard courts of Indian Wells—that, if anything, Alcaraz likes even better. Shapo is a guy who can stay with Alcaraz in the shot-making department on the right day. Will Monday be that day? It will be interesting, if nothing else, to see how far the Canadian’s current momentum can take him. He’s still just 25. Winner: Alcaraz
