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Match Details
Fixture: (16) Ben Shelton vs Christopher O'Connell
Date: January 17, 2024
Tournament: Australian Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: A$86,500,00
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Sports & Sony Liv | Canada - TSN & RDS
Ben Shelton vs Christopher O'Connell preview
Sixteenth seed Ben Shelton continues his Australian Open campaign against Australia's Christopher O'Connell for a place in the third round.
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The 21-year-old opened his campaign at Melbourne Park with a straightforward win over Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut. After dropping just two games in the opener, Shelton faced sterner resistance in the second, which went to a tiebreak.
Nevertheless, the left-hander took a commanding two-set lead, and there would be no looking back. Despite Bautista Agut refusing to go way, clinching five games, the Spaniard was powerless to stop his younger opponent from crossing the finish line.
Coming off a semifinal outing at Auckland, Shelton is now 3-2 on the season, having made a surprise run to the Melbourne quarterfinals last year (lost to compatriot Tommy Paul).
Meanwhile, the 68th-ranked O'Connell opened his campaign at Melbourne Park with a tough five-set win over Chile's Cristian Garin. The 29-year-old won only three games in the opener but restored parity with a 7-5 second set.
Garin inched ahead again, taking the third set 6-3, but it was all O'Connell from there on, forcing a fifth set by conceding just one game before producing his second 7-5 set of the day.
O'Connell is coming off a quarterfinal run in Adelaide last week, losing to Sebastian Korda. The Australian is now 4-5 in Melbourne after losing in the opening round last year.
Ben Shelton vs Christopher O'Connell head-to-head
The two players haven't met before on tour, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Ben Shelton vs Christopher O'Connell odds
The odds will be updated when they release.
Ben Shelton vs Christopher O'Connell prediction
Shelton and O'Connell like to dominate opponents off the back of the court but have contrasting playing styles.
The 21-year-old Shelton is a big server, a fierce striker of the ball and is incredibly athletic and agile on the court. Moreover, his left-handed serves can be difficult for opponents to counter. Meanwhile, the older O'Connell has much more modest attributes.
What Shelton lacks in experience, he makes up for with his youthful exuberance. Coming off a US Open semifinal run in his last Grand Slam appearance, the youngster is off to a good start in Melbourne, eager to prove that his last year's run was no flash in the pan.
Expect the young American to take the win.
Pick: Shelton in four sets
