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Match Details
Fixture: (12) Ben Shelton vs (WC) Reilly Opelka
Date: August 13, 2024
Tournament: Western & Southern Open
Round: First Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, Ohio, US
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $6,795,555
Live Telecast: US - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Ben Shelton vs Reilly Opelka preview
Americans Ben Shelton and Reilly Opelka will clash in the first round of the Western & Southern Open 2024.
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Following his fourth-round exit from Wimbledon, Shelton returned to the US to resume the hardcourt swing as he opted not to participate in the Paris Olympics. Shelton's first tournament was the Atlanta Open, where he received a first-round bye as the top seed. However, he failed to win a match as he was upset by Shang Juncheng in the second round.
Shelton then headed to Washington for the Citi Open, where he reached the semifinals and was beaten by Flavio Cobolli in three sets. He went further north to Montreal for the Canadian Open after that.
The 21-year-old began his campaign with a 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Alexander Bublik. He fell to Alexei Popyrin in the second round, thus making two early exits from his three tournaments so far.
Opelka made his comeback in Newport at the Hall of Fame Open, the season's final tournament on grass. He made it to the semifinals where he was ousted by Alex Michelsen.
Opelka bowed out in the second round of his next two tournaments, the Atlanta Open and the Citi Open, losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Jordan Thompson, respectively. He received a wildcard to compete in Cincinnati, his first appearance at the venue since 2021.
Ben Shelton vs Reilly Opelka head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between the two, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Ben Shelton vs Reilly Opelka odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Ben Shelton vs Reilly Opelka prediction
Both players have had similar results in their last three tournaments, with two second-round exits and a semifinal finish, though Opelka made the last four on grass.
The Western & Southern Open is a special tournament for both players. Opelka reached his maiden Masters final here back in 2021, going down to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the summit clash.
Shelton made his Masters debut in Cincinnati a couple of years ago, and ousted World No. 5 Casper Ruud en route to the third round. He went out in the second round last year, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in two tight sets.
Opelka's serve remains a huge asset even after his time away from the sport but he remains quite reliant on it. A good returner is capable of exposing other aspects of his game that aren't as strong. His recent losses on hardcourts have all been in straight sets, and Shelton is likely to beat him that way as well despite his recent inconsistency.
Pick- Ben Shelton to win in straight sets.
