US Open 2024 qualifying: Brandon Holt vs Abdullah Shelbayh preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (WC) Brandon Holt vs Abdullah Shelbayh

Date: Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Tournament: US Open 2024

Round: First Round (Qualifying)

Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, U.S.

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $75,000,000

Live Telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN, RDS

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Brandon Holt vs Abdullah Shelbayh preview

Brandon Holt in action at the San Diego Open (Picture: Getty)

Home favorite Brandon Holt will kick off his US Open qualifying campaign against Jordan's Abdullah Shelbayh in the first round on Tuesday, August 20.

Holt has scarcely featured on the ATP tour this season and holds a 0-2 match record. He made it through the qualifiers at Los Cabos and Cincinnati but fell to compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic and Arthur Fils, respectively. He also played the qualifiers in Dallas, Delray Beach, Acapulco, and Houston but failed to make it through to the main draw.

Holt has, however, found success on the challenger and ITF circuits. The 26-year-old won the M25 Bakersfield ITF event, overcoming France's Timo Legout in the final. He also reached the finals of the Southern California Open Challenger and Tyler Tennis Championships Challenger.

Shelbayh, meanwhile, has played three matches on the ATP tour this year but has not yet recorded a victory. He made back-to-back main-draw appearances in Qatar and Dubai, where he went down to Alexei Popyrin and Tallon Griekspoor. Granted a wild card at the 2024 Grand Prix Hassan II, he was ousted in the first round by eighth seed Flavio Cobolli.

Shelbayh hasn't made it to the finals of any event he's played in. The 20-year-old's best result was a semifinal appearance at the Little Rock Challenger in June. While he has advanced to multiple quarterfinals, he has consistently faced challenges in progressing beyond this stage.

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Brandon Holt vs Abdullah Shelbayh head-to-head

Brandon Holt and Abdullah Shelbayh have not yet played each other in professional competition, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0. They did, however, face off at the Little Rock Challenger earlier this year, in May. Shelbayh won that quarterfinal encounter in three tight sets: 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-5.

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Brandon Holt vs Abdullah Shelbayh odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Brandon Holt	-160	-1.5 (+140)	Over 22.5 (-110)
Abdullah Shelbayh	+120	+1.5 (-210)	Under 22.5 (-130)

(Odds sourced from BetMGM)

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Brandon Holt vs Abdullah Shelbayh prediction

Abdullah Shelbayh in action at the Mallorca Championships (Picture: Getty)

Brandon Holt has had a subpar season so far, finding it hard to stay consistent despite shadows of brilliance. He will look to turn things around at his home slam. It was at the very same venue two years ago that he registered one of the biggest wins of his career in the first round against Taylor Fritz. Having failed to make it to the main draw last year, the American will be eager to make amends and also go on to register his first ATP main draw win of the season.

Abdullah Shelbayh, on the contrary, has failed to make an impression all year. He's struggled to keep pace with the ATP tour and hasn't fared much better on the challenger and ITF circuits. He enters the US Open qualifiers to make it to his first Grand Slam main draw. His previous best Grand Slam showing was reaching the third round of qualifying at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Shelbayh may have gotten the better of Holt earlier this year in a tight three-setter, but the American heads into this game as the slight favorite given his experience at the US Open and recent run of results. He's also made two Grand Slam main draw appearances in comparison to Shelbayh's zero. The winner could ultimately boil down to who takes the initiative on the return first and plays the important points better.

Pick: Holt in three sets.