Acapulco 2023: Holger Rune vs Ben Shelton preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Mexican Open
Match details
Fixture: (4) Holger Rune vs Ben Shelton
Tournament: Mexican Open 2023
Round: First Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Acapulco, Mexico
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $2,013,940
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Holger Rune vs Ben Shelton preview
Fourth seed Holger Rune will take on Ben Shelton in the first round of the 2023 Mexican Open.
Rune started the year with a first-round loss to Yoshihito Nishioka at the Adelaide International 1. He regrouped rather quickly as he made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open before going down to Andrey Rublev in a five-set thriller.
Rune then won both of his Davis Cup ties and proceeded to reach the semifinals of the Open Sud de France. He competed at the ABN AMRO Open the following week, but had to retire due to an injury during his second-round contest.
Rune was supposed to participate in the Open 13 Provence after that, but pulled out of the tournament to recover from the aforementioned injury. The teenager is now set to make his debut at the Mexican Open.
Shelton, meanwhile, kicked off the year by competing at the ASB Classic, where he made it to the second round. He made a memorable debut at the Australian Open, making it all the way to the quarterfinals, his first at a Grand Slam.
The young American was, however, unable to sustain the momentum as he lost in the first round of his next tournament, the Delray Beach Open.
Like Rune, Shelton, too, is set to compete at the Mexican Open for the first time.
Holger Rune vs Ben Shelton head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Holger Rune vs Ben Shelton odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Holger Rune vs Ben Shelton prediction
Rune seems to have recovered quite well following an injury scare which halted his momentum. Shelton, on the other hand, suffered a brief let-down after his dream run at the Australian Open, but will be eager to get back to winning ways.
Both youngsters are touted as the future of men's tennis and have displayed plenty of potential for the same with their results. Rune has accomplished quite a lot over the past year, including a Masters 1000 title by defeating Novak Djokovic in the final.
Shelton's biggest weapon is his powerful serve, which he utilizes to great effect. Rune is a capable server himself, but is likely to play second fiddle to the American in that department.
The teenager recently struggled a fair bit against Maxime Cressy, who's an equally good server. He failed to come up with a single break point during his loss to the American. Rune will need to step up his return game or else suffer a similar outcome.
If Rune's able to prolong the rallies, he's likely to have the upper hand over Shelton, mainly due to his relative consistency during baseline duels. The Danish youngster is slightly more experienced at the moment, which should help him navigate troubled waters and progress further.
Pick: Holger Rune to win in three sets.