Houston 2024 Day 3: Men's singles predictions ft. Ben Shelton vs Zizou Bergs | U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships

Day 3 of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston will see the start of the second round.

Fifth seed Christopher Eubanks has been the only big casualty of the tournament so far as he was eliminated in the first round by Rinky Hijikata. Aleksandar Kovacevic, Max Purcell, and Michael Mmoh were among the other first-round victors.

Top seed Ben Shelton will take to the court on Wednesday for his debut in Houston. He has already notched up a win at the venue as he teamed up with Andres Andrade to topple the third-seeded duo of Julian Cash and Robert Galloway in the first round of doubles.

Here's a look at the predictions for all the singles matches lined up on Day 3 of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships.

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#1 - Ben Shelton vs Zizou Bergs

Shelton has amassed an 11-7 record for the season so far. His best results have been semifinal appearances in Auckland and Dallas, a quarterfinal finish in Acapulco, and a fourth-round showing at Indian Wells.

Shelton competed on clay for the first time last year and didn't go too well. He managed to score just a couple of wins across the seven tournaments that he participated in. As the top seed in Houston, he was the recipient of a first-round bye.

Bergs commenced his run in Houston with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Patrick Kypson. It marked just his third win of the season and his fourth career win on clay. The Belgian has been in rather poor form this season.

Shelton will be eager to show his pedigree on clay after a dismal outing on the red dirt last year. If he has trained hard enough to improve on the surface, he should be able to move past Bergs.

Predicted winner: Ben Shelton

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#2 - Francisco Cerundolo vs Luciano Darderi

Francisco Cerundolo is the second seed at the 2024 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships.

Cerundolo has struggled quite a bit this year, even on his preferred surface, clay. His overall record for the season stands at 7-9, with four of those wins coming on the red dirt.

Aside from his semifinal run at the Rio Open, Cerundolo hasn't won consecutive matches elsewhere. Darderi, on the other hand, made a significant breakthrough this year with his results. He captured his maiden career title at the Cordoba Open and made it to the last eight at the Chile Open.

Darderi rallied from a set down to beat Denis Kudla 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the first round of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. The Italian has proven to be a natural on clay so far, with all of his wins this year coming on the surface. It wouldn't be too surprising to see him get the better of the higher-ranked Cerundolo given his results.

Predicted winner: Luciano Darderi

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#3 - Brandon Nakashima vs Rinky Hijikata

Nakashima took on Duje Adjukovic in the first round here and defeated him 6-1, 6-4, and secured his second win of the year. Hijikata faced fifth seed Christopher Eubanks in his opener and sneaked past him 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2). It marked his maiden ATP victory on clay in singles.

Nakashima hasn't had much success on the ATP Tour this season but has fared better on the Challenger circuit. Hijikata, meanwhile, has performed better on the main tour but his lack of match play on clay could prove to be a handicap.

Nakashima isn't a powerhouse on the surface either with a 7-7 career record on it. However, his prior experience on the red dirt compared to his opponent could ultimately sway the tide in his favor.

Predicted winner: Brandon Nakashima

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#4 - Marcos Giron vs J.J. Wolf

Marcos Giron is the seventh seed at the 2024 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships.

Giron commenced his run in Houston with a 6-2, 7-5 win over former top 10 player Denis Shapovalov. Wolf overcame Alexander Ritschard 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the second round here. It was also his first win of the year and snapped his seven-match losing streak dating back to the end of last season.

This will be the second career meeting between the two. Giron won their previous encounter at last year's ASB Classic in straight sets. After a slow start to the year, the 30-year-old reached the final in Dallas and the semifinals in Delray Beach.

However, Giron's results have begun to stagnate yet again as he bowed out of the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open without a win. He's still in better form compared to Wolf based on their results, so the 30-year-old will be expected to come out on top in this all-American showdown.

Predicted winner: Marcos Giron