Australian Open 2024: Ben Shelton vs Adrian Mannarino preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (16) Ben Shelton vs (20) Adrian Mannarino
Date: January 19, 2024
Tournament: Australian Open 2024
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard (Outdoor)
Prize Money: A$86,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Sports & Sony Liv | Canada - TSN & RDS
Ben Shelton vs Adrian Mannarino preview
World No. 16 Ben Shelton will take on Adrian Mannarino in the third round of the 2024 Australian Open on Friday (January 19).
Shelton sent Roberto Bautista Agut packing in his opener, which set up a meeting against home favorite Christopher O'Connell in the second round. Neither got close to a break point for most of the first set, until the American bucked the trend towards the end.
With O'Connell serving to stay in the set at 5-4, Shelton snagged a break of serve to take the set. The second set was one-way traffic in the 21-year-old's direction as he reeled off five straight games to claim the set.
With his back up against the wall, O'Connell took his game up a notch to capture the third set. He dealt the first blow in the fourth set as well to go up a break, but Shelton immediately managed to get back on serve.
O'Connell then saved a couple of match points to force a tie-break, and erased another couple of match points in it. Shelton was finally able to get the job done on his fifth opportunity to score a 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5) win.
Mannarino, meanwhile, edged past Stan Wawrinka in five sets to reach the second round, where he was up against Jaume Munar. The Frenchman clinched the first couple of sets with ease, but couldn't sustain the level.
Munar stormed back to bag the next couple of sets to level the proceedings. Mannarino upped his game once more and got the upper hand in the final set courtesy of an early break. He held on to the lead to register a 6-3, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6, 6-3 victory.
Ben Shelton vs Adrian Mannarino head-to-head
Mannarino leads Shelton 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 Miami Open in three sets.
Ben Shelton vs Adrian Mannarino odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Ben Shelton vs Adrian Mannarino prediction
Shelton recovered well from a third-set stumble to get the better of O'Connell. The American was aided by the 17 aces he fired, and won 71% of his first-serve points. Mannarino, on the other hand, has been fighting hard for survival since the first round.
After a five-set thriller against Wawrinka, Mannarino was on track for an easy win over Munar. But what seemed like a routine affair turned into another rollercoaster ride for the Frenchman, as he was pushed to five sets once again.
While Mannarino did manage to best Shelton the last time they met, the American was going through a rough patch back then. The American, a quarterfinalist here just last year, seems to be playing quite well now.
Mannarino's up-and-down level won't cut it given Shelton's current form, and the 21-year-old will be backed to continue his run Down Under.
Pick: Ben Shelton to win in four sets.