Indian Wells 2024: Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Jannik Sinner vs (16) Ben Shelton
Date: TBD
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, USA
Category: ATP 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize Money: $8,995,555
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel/TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton preview
The fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters will have reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner take on home hope Ben Shelton in an exciting encounter.
Sinner, who is the third seed at this year’s tournament, is yet to lose a match in 2024. Besides winning his maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open, he has also lifted the trophy in Rotterdam.
Here at Indian Wells, Sinner improved his win-loss record for the year to 14-0 with straight-sets wins over Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jan-Lennard Struff, and will aim to keep the winning run going.
Shelton’s 10-5 win-loss record for the season, meanwhile, has seen him make the semifinals in Dallas and Auckland. He also reached the quarterfinals in Acapulco, losing to Casper Ruud in a three-set battle.
The American has had to toil hard for wins at Indian Wells, eking out three-set victories over Francisco Cerundolo and Jakub Mensik. He, however, faces his biggest test yet in the form of the irrepressible Sinner.
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton head-to-head
Sinner and Shelton have split their two meetings on the tour before, so their current head-to-head stands at a 1-1 deadlock. Both their encounters came last year, with Shelton winning in Shanghai and Sinner avenging the loss in Vienna.
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton prediction
Given that the duo’s past meetings have both gone down to the wire, fans can expect another close battle.
Jannik Sinner, however, has gone from strength to strength over the course of the week. He is winning well over 75% of the first-serve points and is yet to drop serve.
Shelton, who also relies on his serve to win a fair few easy points, has banked on the shot, but has still dropped serve four times. Against Sinner, he will need to be more careful as any slip-ups will hand over the momentum to his opponent.
Neither player is likely to cede too much ground in their own service games, and if things do get tight, the Italian’s recent run of form should give him confidence needed to tilt the match in his favor.
Prediction: Sinner to win in two tight sets.