Carlos Alcaraz vs Denis Shapovalov Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Defending champion Alcaraz with a tricky third round test

To say Alcaraz loves Indian Wells is an understatement. The Spaniard has won the last two editions of the tournament and has only lost to Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in the Californian desert, with both defeats coming when he was a teenager. The slow, dry conditions suit Alcaraz's game to a tee and the Spaniard will likely come through this test on Monday.

However, Shapovalov - if he maintains his current level - can make this match competitive. We've seen Alcaraz suffer concentration lapses repeatedly throughout his career, so if the Canadian can produce the sort of tennis that saw him capture the Dallas 500 title last month, he will make this match very interesting. I'm backing Shapovalov to win a set, but Alcaraz is the King of Indian Wells and should be able to regroup from any potential adversity in this encounter.

This will be just the second meeting between the pair, with Alcaraz easing to a straight sets victory at the 2023 French Open.

It hasn't been most ideal start to the season for Alcaraz, but it's not been bad by any means and now he gets the chance to once again compete in very favourable conditions at one of his most successful tournaments.

Alcaraz was extremely disappointed with his quarter-final exit to an injured Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, but the Spaniard bounced back strongly to secure the Rotterdam 500 title, defeating Alex de Minaur in the final.

The aforementioned concentration lapses were evident in Doha, with Alcaraz almost losing to Luca Nardi before blowing a big lead against Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz got back to winning ways with a routine 6-4 6-2 triumph over Quentin Halys in his Indian Wells opener, which doubled as his 13th consecutive win at the tournament. The Spaniard conquered Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev back-to-back to claim the silverware last year.

It's been a tough last couple of seasons for Shapovalov, who's career has gone a different direction to what many initially believed.

However, there's been signs recently that Shapovalov could be about to rise closer to the top of the game again.

The Canadian wasn't at his best in January as he failed to win back-to-back matches at three tournaments, but he was on fire indoors in Dallas last month, defeating the likes of Taylor Fritz, Tomas Machac, Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud with some thunderous tennis to secure the title.

Shapovalov backed it up with a semi-final run in Acapulco before cruising in a 6-3 6-2 victory over Adam Walton in his Indian Wells opener.