J.J. Wolf did not let twenty aces from his opponent derail him from victory. In the battle of twenty-three-year-olds, it was the relative newbie, Wolf, who came out on the winning side of things. Cracking the top hundred for the first time this week, Wolf shows us he has the game to compete with the top players.
How J.J. Wolf Disrupted Shapovalov’s Game
In their first meeting, the victory went to the American in three sets. The Canadian was caught by surprise. J.J. Wolf served with precision and kept the ball deep. It was a clean set of tennis from the American, who started off sharper than his opponent. Shapovalov on the other hand just could not get going and was hampered by the second serve points won. They say you are only as good as your second serve. At thirteen percent of points won, it’s not a surprise that Wolf won the first set 6-2.
Embed from Getty ImagesExpect Denis Shapovalov To Fight To The End
The Canadian found his groove in the second set, despite being broken twice. Nevertheless, he also broke the American twice as well. Shapovalov actually served better in the second set, but still struggled on his second serve. It was only fitting that the set went to a tiebreaker. Would the Canadian figure out the puzzle called Wolf? It was a close breaker, which was won by Shapovalov 7-6(5). Perhaps he expected the American to fade away in disappointment after dropping the second set. No such luck.
Wolf Took His Game To Another Level
In the third set, Wolf burned the Canadian time and time again with his forehand. He also pinned him in the back court and took advantage of his opportunities to come to net. Wolf did not win many points on his second serve, but at a first serve percentage of seventy-seven, he did not have to. He never gave Shapovalov an opportunity to get back in the match. One break was all he needed to seal the 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3 victory.
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