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Shanghai Masters round of 32 picks and predictions: Best bets on Auger-Aliassime vs. De Jong, Shang vs. Borges

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime headlines my Shanghai Masters round of 32 picks.

The pre-match narrative: FAA is rolling right now, and he looks for his spot in the round of 16 as a big favourite over Jesper de Jong. Later on, Juncheng Shang and Nuno Borges match up, and I have my sights set on the underdog.

Check out my top Shanghai Masters predictions for the round of 32.

Shanghai Masters predictions: Round of 32

Best Bet: Auger-Aliassime -1.5 sets (-143)

In his first match at this event, Auger-Aliassime dominated.

He defeated Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets. He won a whopping 74% of his first serves with 11 aces and never gave his opponent a chance.

He arguably takes a step back in competition level, drawing De Jong in the second round.

The Dutchman is currently ranked No. 81 and has never been higher than No. 79. He’s played just 14 matches on hardcourts this season (8-6 record).

Auger-Aliassime has had two stints of brilliance this season, and both have been during hard-court season.

He now has a very respectful 22-9 record on the playing surface. The Canadian is up to No. 13 in the ATP rankings after starting the season buried in the 20s.

Key stat: Auger-Aliassime is 10-2 in his last 12 matches, with both losses coming against Jannik Sinner. He was three wins over top-15 opponents during that time.

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Tennis best bet: Shang vs. Borges

Borges to win (+130): The 20-year-old from China is building some momentum, but he has his hands full with Borges.

Shang has only played 13 matches this season because of injury recovery. He has a 6-7 record but has put together two straight wins at this event, capped off with a victory over Karen Khachanov (No. 10) in straight sets.

He’s still very much a promising young talent, but he hasn’t played more than two matches at an event since December.

Even the best in the world would be facing some fatigue ahead of this match.

Borges has been consistent all season, with a 30-29 record. This will be the fifth year in a row he has played 60+ matches.

He’s won by straight sets twice to qualify for the round of 32, playing one less set than his counterpart.

Borges has the experience edge and could hold a significant stamina advantage over Shang.

Tennis predictions made at 12:50 a.m. on 10/05/2025.

Patriots vs. Bills Week 5 SNF TD picks: Bet on Josh Allen to have a record breaking performance

The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills meet in primetime in Week 5.

The pregame narrative: Josh Allen can set an NFL record on Sunday Night Football if he has another touchdown-filled evening. Look for the star quarterback to flaunt his dual-threat skills in a pivotal AFC East matchup.

Check out our top Patriots vs. Bills SNF TD picks, featuring wagers on Allen and Keon Coleman.

Patriots vs. Bills TD picks: Week 5

Best Bet: Allen to score a TD (-143)

Allen is tied with Cam Newton for the most games in NFL history with both a passing and rushing touchdown (45).

He can take sole possession of that record on Sunday night, and I expect him to do so.

Allen has three rushing touchdowns in four games.

He’s rushed the ball 6+ times in three of four games, setting a high floor as a runner.

This is nothing new for the superstar QB. He has 30 rushing TDs since the start of the 2023 season.

Allen has run the ball 10 times in the red zone this season, leading to three scores. Only Jalen Hurts has more QB carries inside the 20-yard line.

New England’s defence blitzes over 20% of the time but has an abysmal 2.9% hurry rate. That would work against this wager for a pocket QB, but Allen will use the time to set up runs if his receivers are covered.

Key stat: Allen has scored in eight of his last 11 regular-season games.

Sunday Night Football TD picks

Coleman to score a TD (+190): Coleman looked like a breakout candidate after his Week 1 performance.

11 targets
8 receptions
112 yards
1 touchdown

In three games since, he has 11 targets, nine receptions and 91 receiving yards.

There are still some strong positives to look at, though.

Coleman has played 31 more snaps than any other Bills receiver, and he’s upped his catch rate significantly in his second season.

Year 1: 50.9%
Year 2: 77.3%

He’s clearly improved, and I think a solid season is still within the cards.

Coleman is the only player on the Bills to be targeted multiple times this season inside 10 yards, and he caught both passes.

Sean McDermott should look to utilize his young receiver even more in the red zone.

Patriots vs. Bills TD picks made at 10:27 a.m. ET on 10/05/2025.

Patriots vs. Bills Week 5 SNF TD picks: Bet on Josh Allen to have a record breaking performance

The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills meet in primetime in Week 5.

The pregame narrative: Josh Allen can set an NFL record on Sunday Night Football if he has another touchdown-filled evening. Look for the star quarterback to flaunt his dual-threat skills in a pivotal AFC East matchup.

Check out our top Patriots vs. Bills SNF TD picks, featuring wagers on Allen and Keon Coleman.

Patriots vs. Bills TD picks: Week 5

Best Bet: Allen to score a TD (-134)

Allen is tied with Cam Newton for the most games in NFL history with both a passing and rushing touchdown (45).

He can take sole possession of that record on Sunday night, and I expect him to do so.

Allen has three rushing touchdowns in four games.

He’s rushed the ball 6+ times in three of four games, setting a high floor as a runner.

This is nothing new for the superstar QB. He has 30 rushing TDs since the start of the 2023 season.

Allen has run the ball 10 times in the red zone this season, leading to three scores. Only Jalen Hurts has more QB carries inside the 20-yard line.

New England’s defence blitzes over 20% of the time but has an abysmal 2.9% hurry rate. That would work against this wager for a pocket QB, but Allen will use the time to set up runs if his receivers are covered.

Key stat: Allen has scored in eight of his last 11 regular-season games.

Sunday Night Football TD picks

Coleman to score a TD (+175): Coleman looked like a breakout candidate after his Week 1 performance.

11 targets
8 receptions
112 yards
1 touchdown

In three games since, he has 11 targets, nine receptions and 91 receiving yards.

There are still some strong positives to look at, though.

Coleman has played 31 more snaps than any other Bills receiver, and he’s upped his catch rate significantly in his second season.

Year 1: 50.9%
Year 2: 77.3%

He’s clearly improved, and I think a solid season is still within the cards.

Coleman is the only player on the Bills to be targeted multiple times this season inside 10 yards, and he caught both passes.

Sean McDermott should look to utilize his young receiver even more in the red zone.

Patriots vs. Bills TD picks made at 10:27 a.m. ET on 10/05/2025.

Tigers vs. Mariners Game 2 ALDS SGP predictions: Expect bounce back effort from Seattle behind Rodriguez, Raleigh

The Detroit Tigers have the early advantage over the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS.

The pregame narrative: Detroit squeaked out a 3-2 win behind solid pitching from starter Troy Melton and seven different bullpen arms. On Sunday, the Tigers have the luxury of sending out ace Tarik Skubal to counter Luis Castillo for the Mariners in Game 2.

Check out my +310 Tigers vs. Mariners predictions for Game 2, featuring prop bets on Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh.

Tigers vs. Mariners predictions

Parlay: Mariners +1.5 | Rodriguez 1+ hits | Raleigh 1+ hits (+310)

Mariners +1.5 (-186): I like Seattle’s chances of tying the series, so I’ll take a stab at the runline in this SGP.

Skubal is an obvious advantage whenever he’s on the mound, but he’s been more human against the Mariners in two starts this season.

In 10.2 innings, the Tigers ace allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs. He walked five batters in those starts, which is a sign that the Mariners at least see Skubal better than other teams.

Seattle went 2-0 in those games, and Skubal allowed 3+ earned runs in both starts.

Castillo also happened to start both of those contests. The postseason is a different beast, but that’s two games of direct correlation to go off of.

We also can’t forget the run the Mariners went on to win the AL West. They won 17 of their final 21 regular-season games.

MLB SGP legs

Rodriguez 1+ hits (-134): Only two players had hits on the Mariners yesterday. Rodriguez had three, and superstar catcher Raleigh had three, but more on him later.

That isn’t going to win ball games, but it’s encouraging to see Seattle’s top two hitters do some damage in Game 1.

Rodriguez was on a tear down the stretch. He had a .304 batting average over his final 29 games. He went 22-7 against this wager in those games.

In Skubal’s last start against the Mariners on June 11, Rodriguez hit a two-run homer off the lefty in the fifth inning.

The slugging outfielder is hot right now and has a ton of value on his hits prop because of the matchup. But I’m confident Rodriguez can break through.

Raleigh 1+ hits (-124): Let’s get back to Raleigh.

He had a historic season, becoming the first catcher and switch-hitter in MLB history to hit 60 home runs.

Raleigh doesn’t have the best head-to-head stats against Skubal, going 2-for-9 in his career, but he does have a bomb off the lefty.

And let’s be honest, Raleigh was a low-contact swing and miss hitter with some pop before becoming truly elite this season.

In both games Skubal started this season vs. Seattle, Raleigh is 2-0 on this wager.

Additionally, he had at least a hit in 21 of 25 games to close out the regular season. This is another instance where I’ll back a streaking hitter with some strong value in a tough matchup.

Tigers vs. Mariners predictions as of 9:39 a.m. on 10/05/2025.

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NHL 2025-26 futures picks: Stanley Cup prediction, plus best bets on Jack Hughes, Macklin Celebrini and Nick Suzuki

The NHL season is just around the corner, but there’s still time to dig into the futures market.

Ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, I’m recommending four futures picks, including a +1,000 choice to win the Stanley Cup. I also have futures picks on Macklin Celebrini, Jack Hughes — who has tremendous value to win the Art Ross Trophy — and Nick Suzuki.

Check out my favourite NHL futures predictions below.

NHL futures predictions

Dallas Stars to win the Stanley Cup (+1,000): When looking for potential Stanley Cup winners, there are a few things on my checklist.

And the Stars tick off all the boxes.

Dallas finally has a star: Mikko Rantanen unexpectedly ended the season with the Stars and signed a big extension to stay with the team. The winger showcased his true star power in the playoffs, scoring 22 points in 18 games.

The depth is strong: Dallas can roll three lines with confidence, while Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley lead a stout defensive unit.

Jake Oettinger is just hitting his prime: The Stars goalie is just 26 years old and has been at the top of the goaltender rankings for several seasons. He has a career .912 save percentage.

Dallas was within striking distance last year, reaching the Western Conference finals before losing out to the Edmonton Oilers.

Heiskanen played only 50 games in 2024-25, and Rantanen was acquired at the deadline.

With both all-stars likely to play more games, there’s a real shot the Stars win the Central Division, or even the West, setting up home advantage in the playoffs.

Bet on NHL futures

Art Ross prediction

Hughes (+3,000): Hughes is going into his seventh NHL season… at 24 years old.

This could still be a year too early, but there’s great value on the New Jersey Devils’ star forward.

Injuries have derailed Hughes’ last two seasons. But the last time he was fully healthy, he had 99 points in 78 games as a 21-year-old.

Hughes has still recorded 1.16 points per game over the past couple of years.

There’s always the safe pick of Connor McDavid (+200) or Nikita Kucherov (+350), who have combined to win the last five Art Ross trophies, but I’m putting my eggs in a new basket.

It feels like the right time for Hughes to turn from star to superstar, and that could mean leading the NHL in points.

Hughes was the fastest Devil to reach 10 points in a season, doing so in four games back in 2023-24. He won the player of the month for October before a shoulder injury in November ruined his momentum.

NHL players futures

Celebrini over 69.5 points (-112): Celebrini took the NHL by storm as a rookie, tallying 63 points. He could’ve been even more productive if he hadn’t missed 12 games.

If he can play 75-plus games this season, he would naturally see an uptick in scoring even with the same scoring pace.

But I feel like another gear is coming. Celebrini had 31 points over his final 33 games (a 77-point pace over 82 games). That’s pretty impressive for an 18-year-old.

The San Jose Sharks have the second-youngest team in the NHL and were the only club with two players ranked inside the top 10 in rookie scoring.

Celebrini was third, and teammate Will Smith was fourth with 45 points.

There are many reasons for Celebrini to grow, and he’s shown he has the talent to soon be a top player in the league.

Suzuki futures prediction

Suzuki over 80.5 points (-112): The Montreal Canadiens captain had a breakout campaign in 2024-25, scoring 89 points in 82 games.

He’s been an ironman over the past four seasons, playing in every game for the Canadiens.

And Suzuki’s consistently gotten better each year.

2021-22: 61 points
2022-23: 66 points
2023-24: 77 points
2024-25: 89 points

At 26 years old, there’s no reason for him to take a step back this season. He’s in all the right positions to succeed on Montreal’s first line and power-play unit.

Suzuki is at the skill level now where he wouldn’t even need to play 82 games to cash this wager. He did so in 76 games last season.

He also went on a tear down the stretch, tallying 37 points in the final 26 games. That’s an incredible 117-point pace over 82 games.

NHL futures predictions made on Oct. 3, 2025.

Patriots vs. Bills Week 5 Sunday Night Football picks: Best prop bets on Drake Maye, Dalton Kincaid

The Buffalo Bills welcome a division rival on Sunday Night Football with their perfect season on the line.

The pregame narrative: The New England Patriots are playing above expectations, sporting a 2-2 record heading into Week 5. In saying that, the Bills are sizable 8-point favourites to win and improve on their lead atop the AFC East.

Check out my Patriots vs. Bills picks for the Sunday Night Football matchup on Oct. 5, featuring prop predictions on Drake Maye and Dalton Kincaid.

Patriots vs. Bills picks

Best bet: Maye over 222.5 passing yards (-118)

Let’s get the ugly out of the way first. Buffalo allows the fewest passing yards per game (125.8)

But that has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Week 1: Lamar Jackson (14-for-19, 209 yards)
Week 2: Justin Fields/Tyrod Taylor (10-for-21, 83 yards)
Week 3: Tua Tagovailoa (22-for-34, 146 yards)
Week 4: Spencer Rattler (18-for-27, 126 yards)

It’s safe to say the Bills haven’t faced the best quarterbacks. Jackson didn’t need to pass much due to the Baltimore Ravens rumbling for 238 rushing yards.

Now, let’s focus on Maye. He’s 3-1 against this line, averaging 247 passing yards.

In the one game he fell short, the Pats demolished the Carolina Panthers, 42-13, and Maye only needed to throw 17 times.

I can all but guarantee he won’t be in the position to cruise against the Bills and should get back up to his average of 30.8 attempts.

New England certainly doesn’t have the rushing attack that Baltimore does. Plus, the squad is a big underdog, and Maye would pass more playing from behind.

Key stat: In Maye’s only complete game against the Bills in his career, he completed 22-of-36 passes for 261 yards.

Sunday Night Football prop pick

Kincaid anytime touchdown (+210): Kincaid has been Josh Allen’s favourite weapon in the red zone.

The tight end leads the Bills in targets inside 20 yards (five) and touchdowns (three).

Even though that’s the case, he has the third-shortest odds to score amongst pass catchers behind Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman.

The Patriots allow the seventh most yards to tight ends (63.0) and gave up two touchdowns to the position last week in their 42-13 blowout over the Panthers.

Buffalo has a lot more offensive potential with Kincaid being a prime target near the end zone. I love the value here.

Patriots vs. Bills picks made at 1:57 p.m. ET 10/03/2025.

Patriots vs. Bills Week 5 Sunday Night Football picks: Best prop bets on Drake Maye, Dalton Kincaid

The Buffalo Bills welcome a division rival on Sunday Night Football with their perfect season on the line.

The pregame narrative: The New England Patriots are playing above expectations, sporting a 2-2 record heading into Week 5. In saying that, the Bills are sizable 8-point favourites to win and improve on their lead atop the AFC East.

Check out my Patriots vs. Bills picks for the Sunday Night Football matchup on Oct. 5, featuring prop predictions on Drake Maye and Dalton Kincaid.

Patriots vs. Bills picks

Best bet: Maye over 223.5 passing yards (-113)

Let’s get the ugly out of the way first. Buffalo allows the fewest passing yards per game (125.8)

But that has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Week 1: Lamar Jackson (14-for-19, 209 yards)
Week 2: Justin Fields/Tyrod Taylor (10-for-21, 83 yards)
Week 3: Tua Tagovailoa (22-for-34, 146 yards)
Week 4: Spencer Rattler (18-for-27, 126 yards)

It’s safe to say the Bills haven’t faced the best quarterbacks. Jackson didn’t need to pass much due to the Baltimore Ravens rumbling for 238 rushing yards.

Now, let’s focus on Maye. He’s 3-1 against this line, averaging 247 passing yards.

In the one game he fell short, the Pats demolished the Carolina Panthers, 42-13, and Maye only needed to throw 17 times.

I can all but guarantee he won’t be in the position to cruise against the Bills and should get back up to his average of 30.8 attempts.

New England certainly doesn’t have the rushing attack that Baltimore does. Plus, the squad is a big underdog, and Maye would pass more playing from behind.

Key stat: In Maye’s only complete game against the Bills in his career, he completed 22-of-36 passes for 261 yards.

Sunday Night Football prop pick

Kincaid anytime touchdown (+225): Kincaid has been Josh Allen’s favourite weapon in the red zone.

The tight end leads the Bills in targets inside 20 yards (five) and touchdowns (three).

Even though that’s the case, he has the third-shortest odds to score amongst pass catchers behind Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman.

The Patriots allow the seventh most yards to tight ends (63.0) and gave up two touchdowns to the position last week in their 42-13 blowout over the Panthers.

Buffalo has a lot more offensive potential with Kincaid being a prime target near the end zone. I love the value here.

Patriots vs. Bills picks made at 1:57 p.m. ET 10/03/2025.

Denver Broncos vs. Philadelphia Eagles Week 5 SGP predictions: Back Jalen Hurts, Bo Nix in +310 wager

The undefeated Philadelphia Eagles welcome the Denver Broncos in Week 5.

The pregame narrative: The defending Super Bowl champs haven’t looked great by all accounts, but they have the chance to improve to 5-0 in the early goings of the season. Meanwhile, the Broncos are 2-2 and looking to keep pace with the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West.

Check out my Broncos vs. Eagles +310 same-game parlay predictions for Week 5, featuring Jalen Hurts and Bo Nix.

Broncos vs. Eagles SGP predictions

SGP: Over 38.5 points | Hurts over 39.5 rushing yards | Nix over 212.5 passing yards (+310)

Over 38.5 points (-220): Last week, both squads turned in a positive offensive performance. The Broncos had no resistance, winning 27-3 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Philadelphia scored 31 points in the first three quarters before almost choking away the lead to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The weird part is, the Eagles had zero passing yards in the second half and only recorded 200 total yards in the contest.

But that’s been their thing this season. The offence has been limited moving the ball, but has been very efficient nonetheless.

Third fewest yards per game (251.5)

Seventh most points per game (27.0)

That probably is worrisome to most, but to me, that shows an elite offence being able to score in bunches even when things aren’t clicking.

There’s plenty of evidence stating better times are ahead in Philly.

Denver is top 10 in yards per game (354.5). The offence should be able to get into scoring position enough to also contribute healthily to the over on this alternative line.

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NFL SGP picks

Hurts over 39.5 rushing yards (-114): One thing Denver does extremely well on defence is pressure the quarterback.

30.5% blitz rate
Tied for the most QB hurries (21)

A quarterback hurry tracks any instance where a QB is forced to throw earlier than intended or is chased out of the pocket.

If that’s the case here, Hurts will once again be more willing as a runner than a passer.

He averages 10.3 rushing attempts per game, leading to 44.8 yards.

Hurts is 3-1 against this milestone and should be ravaiding pressure frequently against Denver’s frontline.

Nix over 212.5 passing yards (-114): If this game turns into a bit of a shootout like I expect it to, this line would be no problem for Nix.

He’s facing the slightest of sophomore slumps, averaging just 215.3 passing yards per game.

But he’s coming off his best performance of the season against the downtrodden Bengals.

29-for-42, 326 yards
7.8 yards per attempt (season high)

He did play a monstrous 81 offensive snaps, and the Bengals’ defence is very bad, but I still expect it to be a confidence booster for the entirety of Denver’s offence.

Baker Mayfield had to play from behind a lot last week and the uptick in passing led to 289 yards. The Broncos could be in a similar situation as 4-point underdogs on the road.

Broncos vs. Eagles predictions made at 12:36 p.m. ET on 10/03/2025.

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Shanghai Masters round of 64 picks and predictions: Best bets on Auger-Aliassime vs. Tabilo, Shapovalov vs. O’Connell

The Shanghai Masters is in full swing with two Canadians in action.

The pre-match narrative: Felix Auger-Aliassime is having an incredible season, and he starts his journey at this event against Alejandro Tabilo. After that, Denis Shapovalov and Christopher O’Connell go head-to-head in the round of 64.

Check out my top Shanghai Masters predictions for the round of 64.

Shanghai Masters predictions: Round of 64

Best bet: Auger-Aliassime -1.5 sets (+137)

The Canadian is on a 9-2 run with both losses coming to world No. 2-ranked Jannik Sinner.

It’s hard to find any knocks on his recent play. At the U.S. Open, he had three consecutive wins over Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur. All of whom are top-10 quality.

Because of that, Auger-Aliassime has jumped all the way up to 13th in the ATP rankings.

He’s on a serious tear and carries a handful of advantages in this contest against Tabilo.

Tabilo is 24-18 this season, splitting his time between the main tour and challenger tour.

Auger-Aliassime has the better record on hard courts (21-9), despite regularly playing the better competition.

Tabilo needed to play three matches to qualify for the round of 64. His counterpart hasn’t played since the U.S. Open, boasting a huge rest advantage.

These two have never played before, and I believe that also helps the side of Auger-Aliassime. He is a strong athlete who can be tricky to figure out.

I love the value of the Canadian putting together a dominant win in his first match at the Shanghai Masters.

Key stat: On hard courts, Auger-Aliassime has played opponents with an average ranking of 48.0 in 2025. Tabilo’s opponents have had an average ranking of 172.1.

Full tennis betting markets

Shanghai Masters best bet: Shapovalov vs. O’Connell

Shapovalov -3.5 games (-112): Shapovalov can be very inconsistent. He’s 21-18 overall this season, but has played most of his matches on this playing surface with a 13-10 record.

He’s 6-4 in his last 10 matches, but three of those losses came against players ranked inside the top 50. He handled business against lower-ranked competitors, claiming five of those six wins in straight sets.

His opponent on Saturday morning, O’Connell, ranks well outside the top 50 at No. 109.

He’s below .500 this season (23-26) and is 6-12 in his last 18 matches at the ATP level. That is not a good run to be on when challenging a top-25 player.

Additionally, Shapovalov is 1-0 in this matchup. He beat O’Connell in straight sets (6-2, 6-2) just under a year ago.

Tennis predictions made at 10:57 a.m. on 10/03/2025.

Shanghai Masters round of 64 picks and predictions: Best bets on Auger-Aliassime vs. Tabilo, Shapovalov vs. O’Connell

The Shanghai Masters is in full swing with two Canadians in action.

The pre-match narrative: Felix Auger-Aliassime is having an incredible season, and he starts his journey at this event against Alejandro Tabilo. After that, Denis Shapovalov and Christopher O’Connell go head-to-head in the round of 64.

Check out my top Shanghai Masters predictions for the round of 64.

Shanghai Masters predictions: Round of 64

Best bet: Auger-Aliassime -1.5 sets (+145)

The Canadian is on a 9-2 run with both losses coming to world No. 2-ranked Jannik Sinner.

It’s hard to find any knocks on his recent play. At the U.S. Open, he had three consecutive wins over Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur. All of whom are top-10 quality.

Because of that, Auger-Aliassime has jumped all the way up to 13th in the ATP rankings.

He’s on a serious tear and carries a handful of advantages in this contest against Tabilo.

Tabilo is 24-18 this season, splitting his time between the main tour and challenger tour.

Auger-Aliassime has the better record on hard courts (21-9), despite regularly playing the better competition.

Tabilo needed to play three matches to qualify for the round of 64. His counterpart hasn’t played since the U.S. Open, boasting a huge rest advantage.

These two have never played before, and I believe that also helps the side of Auger-Aliassime. He is a strong athlete who can be tricky to figure out.

I love the value of the Canadian putting together a dominant win in his first match at the Shanghai Masters.

Key stat: On hard courts, Auger-Aliassime has played opponents with an average ranking of 48.0 in 2025. Tabilo’s opponents have had an average ranking of 172.1.

Full tennis betting markets

Shanghai Masters best bet: Shapovalov vs. O’Connell

Shapovalov -3.5 games (+104): Shapovalov can be very inconsistent. He’s 21-18 overall this season, but has played most of his matches on this playing surface with a 13-10 record.

He’s 6-4 in his last 10 matches, but three of those losses came against players ranked inside the top 50. He handled business against lower-ranked competitors, claiming five of those six wins in straight sets.

His opponent on Saturday morning, O’Connell, ranks well outside the top 50 at No. 109.

He’s below .500 this season (23-26) and is 6-12 in his last 18 matches at the ATP level. That is not a good run to be on when challenging a top-25 player.

Additionally, Shapovalov is 1-0 in this matchup. He beat O’Connell in straight sets (6-2, 6-2) just under a year ago.

Tennis predictions made at 10:57 a.m. on 10/03/2025.