Tommy Paul is through to the quarterfinals of the 2023 Australian Open for the first time in his career and will now take on Ben Shelton at the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday (January 24) after defeating No.24 seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in four sets.
The main difference in the American's win was the winning percentage on the first serve, which stood at 72 and 61 for Agut. He had a total of 15 break-point opportunities in the match and managed to get hold of six of them while the Spaniard had 10 break-point opportunities and took advantage of only two of them.
The 25-year-old won a total of 135 points whereas the 34-year-old won a total of 118 points. The American will now take on his fellow American, who is coming off a win against J.J. Wolf in an enthralling five-set match.
Shelton had to make a comeback in the match after being 2-1 down going into the fourth set. Eventually, he won the match 6-7, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 to seal his first-ever quarterfinal place. Shelton had a better winning percentage on the first serve at 82 whereas Wolf's was at 78.
The major difference was the winning percentage on the second serve, which stood at 69 and 53 respectively. He had a total of nine break-point opportunities and took advantage of four of them, whereas Wolf was unable to take advantage of two break-point opportunities he got. Shelton won a total of 171 points whereas Wolf won a total of 149 points.
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Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton: Betting Odds
The 25-year-old is currently ranked No.35 in the ATP rankings and has reached a career-high ranking of 28 in 2022. He is now in his first-ever quarterfinal of a Grand Slam.
Shelton is only 20 years old and is ranked No.89 in the world and is on an impressive run at the moment. This is also his first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam.
Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton: Match Details
Fixture: Tommy Paul @ Ben Shelton
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 24, 10:30 pm ET
Venue: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park
Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton: Betting Prediction
The two Americans are meeting each other for the first time and that too in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. This is the first time they have both reached such a stage in the competition and it will be really interesting to see how the match unfolds. Expect an entertaining encounter between Paul and Shelton.
Final Prediction: Total Over 38.5 (-130)
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