Another tennis thriller between the American boys?
An all-American semifinal is set to take place between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, and Wettbasis is sending a tip across the pond! The latter, a pro from Georgia, most recently knocked out none other than defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
But the victory over the Spaniard was hard-fought. It wasn’t until after five sets and a champions tiebreak in the decisive set that Shelton finally defeated the Spaniard shortly after 3:30 a.m. local time, pushing the “night session” well past its intended duration.
His upcoming opponent, however, also had to go the full distance in a 3-2 victory over his compatriot Alex Michelsen. It’s not just this parallel of both players having to put in a tremendous effort that suggests another close match.
Rather, the two players are fundamentally at a very similar level, as evidenced by their positions in the world rankings, where they are separated by just three spots on the fringes of the top 10. Shelton is ranked 9th, while Tiafoe is ranked 12th.
Frances Tiafoe – Ben Shelton – Head-to-Head Record
The two American players have faced each other four times so far, with Ben Shelton leading the series 3-1. The 23-year-old also won their most recent matchup—in July of last year in Washington—in straight sets.
For the upcoming match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, the odds once again favor the player who defeated Alcaraz.
Frances Tiafoe – Ben Shelton Prediction
This is the second time in his career, following 2023, that Ben Shelton has reached the top four at the US Open. For his opponent, however, reaching the semifinals at “Flushing Meadows” is almost “business as usual”: Looking back over the past five years, Tiafoe has reached the semifinals for the third time!
Moreover, he was already in good form leading up to the tournament in New York, having reached the final of the Cincinnati Masters. Ben Shelton’s path at that tournament, however, took a different turn, as he was eliminated in Ohio after his very first match.
However, despite this disappointment, his form can still be described as solid, as Shelton won the title at the previous Masters in Montreal. Moreover, it was his fourth title this year on the ATP Tour.
We therefore view the two players as evenly matched at the moment and expect a hard-fought battle.
Based on this assessment, we’re selecting the betting odds for a five-set match in the clash between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.
Another factor in favor of this is that Shelton’s admittedly slight advantage in terms of play is offset by his recent, particularly grueling quarterfinal match against Alcaraz, which lasted over four and a half hours. As mentioned at the beginning, the epic match didn’t end until 3:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, which meant his recovery time was slightly shorter than Tiafoe’s, who had played earlier.
