Laver Cup 2024: Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (Team Europe) Carlos Alcaraz vs (Team World) Ben Shelton
Date: September 21, 2024
Tournament: Laver Cup 2024
Venue: Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $2,250,000
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | Canada - TSN, TVA Sports
Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton preview
Team Europe's Carlos Alcaraz will take on Team World's Ben Shelton on the second day of the Laver Cup 2024.
Alcaraz started the season with a quarterfinal finish at the Australian Open, his first in Melbourne. After an uneventful run in South America, he successfully defended his title at the Indian Wells. He bowed out from the Miami Open in the quarterfinals after that.
An injury sidelined Alcaraz for most of the clay swing, during which he only competed at the Madrid Open, and lost in the quarterfinals. He recovered in time for the French Open and went on to win the title. He continued his good run of form and also defended his Wimbledon crown.
Alcaraz reached the final at the Paris Olympics as well and lost to Novak Djokovic, whom he had beaten a few weeks ago in the Wimbledon final. The North American swing was disastrous for him as he lost in the second round of the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
Alcaraz then won both of his singles ties at the Davis Cup. He started his Laver Cup campaign with a doubles match. He teamed up with Alexander Zverev and lost to Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Shelton's best result at a Major this year was a fourth-round showing at Wimbledon. He reached the third round at the other three Majors. A quarterfinal finish at the Cincinnati Open was his best performance at the Masters level. He won his first title on clay this year in Houston, his only title of the year thus far as well.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton head-to-head
Alcaraz leads Shelton 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at last year's Canadian Open in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton prediction
After an underwhelming summer in the US, Alcaraz looked to be back to his best during last week's Davis Cup ties. He won both of his matches quite comfortably and played with a lot more belief than he did during the US Open.
Shelton's overall results pale in comparison to the Spaniard's. Additionally, he's 0-8 against top-20 opposition this year. He also lost his only prior match against Alcaraz at last year's Canadian Open, though it was a competitive affair.
Shelton can certainly match Alcaraz in terms of athleticism and shotmaking, though the latter's variety offers him more tools to work with. The Spaniard seems to be out of his slump and should be able to deal with his American rival quite comfortably to emerge victorious.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.