Shelton carries strong form into Tsitsipas clash

Ben Shelton faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in the US Open last 16 on hard courts on 6 September, with best-of-five sets. Shelton has been the more consistent player on this surface throughout the season, but Tsitsipas won their only previous meeting. The market and recent results point towards the American, yet the Greek's tiebreak record in that match adds a layer of caution.

Shelton holds clear hard-court edge

Shelton has won 22 of 28 hard-court matches this season, with two titles. He has held serve 90% of the time, two points higher than Tsitsipas, and saved break points at 71% compared with 58% for the Greek. Those numbers suggest Shelton is more reliable when under pressure.

Recent form also favours Shelton

Shelton has won nine of his last ten matches, including a Montreal title run and three wins at this tournament. Tsitsipas has won seven of ten, but his first-set record sits at just 40% compared with Shelton's 60%. A slow start against a strong server could be costly.

Tsitsipas won the only previous clash

The only previous meeting came in Cincinnati in 2023, where Tsitsipas won 2-0. Both sets went to tiebreaks, and Shelton did not lose a service game, but he also failed to create any break chances. Those two tiebreak wins give Tsitsipas confidence if this match gets tight.

Shelton B.

Tsitsipas S.

Wins

0 1

First Serve Points Won

84 %93 %

Second Serve Points Won

55 %60 %

Return Points Won

21 %28 %

Bookmakers make Shelton the clear favourite

Shelton is priced at 1.44 to win the match, while Tsitsipas is at 2.75. First-set prices are 1.53 against 2.50. The market expects the American's current level to outweigh that one past loss.

Shelton B.

Tsitsipas S.

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Serve control and tiebreak pressure

Shelton's serve is the anchor of his hard-court game, but Tsitsipas has shown he can match that in direct confrontations. Shelton has played slightly more tennis recently, with back-to-back matches, though the overall workloads are close. If Tsitsipas can force tiebreaks and start quickly, the upset is not out of reach.

Prediction

Odds