Will the Spaniard maintain his perfect record against Ben Shelton?
Two players with completely different strengths fill the Davidovich Fokina vs. Shelton tip with several possible scenarios. The US boy thrills on home soil. So far, hardly any of his opponents have been able to counter his serve.
It is precisely in this area of the game that his Spanish opponent lacks consistency. In contrast, the 26-year-old benefits from his return skills in our Davidovich Fokina vs. Shelton prediction. It is therefore a clash of strengths, which means that highlights are inevitable.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – Statistics & current form
Since mid-April, Davidovich Fokina has been back in the top 30 of the ATP world rankings. The Spaniard was a long way from that last year. For much of the 2024 season, the now 26-year-old remained outside the top 50.
Davidovich Fokina started the 2025 calendar year by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. It was a start with positive consequences. The Spaniard maintained his good form and reached the final in two of the three subsequent competitions. However, he missed out on his first ATP Tour title in both Delray Beach (1-2 vs. Kecmanovic) and Acapulco (0-2 vs. Machac).
Perhaps that is why the bookmakers consider the Spaniard the underdog in the Davidovich Fokina – Shelton odds. However, the 26-year-old has played too convincingly in the tournament so far to lose without winning a set, once again proving his resilience.
Davidovich Fokina’s serve is his limitation
Over the entire calendar year, the Spanish challenger has won more matches (31-17) than Ben Shelton (26-15). The latter was able to show his strengths especially in the big tournaments and made it to the last four at the 2025 Australian Open.
Davidovich Fokina is an excellent return player, as he proved in the quarterfinals against Taylor Fritz (2:1). His rate of 27.32 percent of return games won in 2025 is the eighth best on the entire tour. Compared to Shelton (15.88 percent), this is his biggest advantage.
On the other hand, his inconsistent serve is a problem, which is probably why the Davidovich Fokina – Shelton odds are so clear, even though the Spaniard has never lost to the 22-year-old. In the match against Taylor Fritz alone, the 26-year-old gave away around 66 points on his own serve.
Ben Shelton – Statistics & current form
Shelton is arguably the most dominant player in this tournament. The US boy has only dropped 25 points on his own serve and has only been broken once. The 22-year-old has won his three previous matches in this tournament without dropping a set.
Just like last year, the Australian Open semi-finalist has served his way into the last four in Washington. Shelton is only the third American to reach the semi-finals of the Citi DC Open in consecutive years. Before him, only Andre Agassi (2001-2004) and Steve Johnson (2015-2016) have achieved this feat.
On hard courts, the world number eight impresses with his lightning-fast serve, which can reach speeds of up to 240 km/h. His service rating over the past 52 weeks is the fourth best ever on hard courts (298.8).
Shelton creeps closer to the top 5
On his way to the semi-finals, the US boy first defeated McDonald (6-3, 6-4), then Diallo (6-3, 6-2) and finally Tiafoe (7-6, 6-4). The young top 10 player now needs just three more wins to add 100 tour victories to his portfolio.
In Washington, the local hero is playing his eleventh semi-final on the tour. It is already certain that Shelton will start next week in seventh place in the ATP world rankings. As already mentioned, his return games are one of his weaknesses.
A crucial question in the Davidovich Fokina – Shelton prediction is whether the 22-year-old can offer his opponent enough resistance on his serve, or whether he will need one or more tiebreaks to reach the final of the Citi DC Open for the first time.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – Ben Shelton Head-to-head record / H2H record
Davidovich Fokina has so far avoided defeat in his encounters with Ben Shelton. Both previous matches took place in a Masters tournament. In 2023 (2:1 in Paris) and recently in Monte Carlo (2:1), the Spaniard triumphed in three sets.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – Ben Shelton Tip
The best server in the tournament faces the best returner in this event. Shelton and Davidovich Fokina could treat the spectators to a great match that goes the full distance to determine the winner.
The US player has tended to play better in this tournament and has also wasted less energy in the previous rounds. Davidovich Fokina, on the other hand, was on court for just over three hours against Fritz. We think a Shelton victory in three sets is most likely.
