Mallorca Championships 2024: Ben Shelton vs Rinky Hijikata preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Ben Shelton vs Rinky Hijikata
Date: June 26, 2024
Tournament: Mallorca Championships 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Santa Ponsa Tennis Academy, Mallorca, Spain
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Grass
Prize Money: €932,135
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN+
Ben Shelton vs Rinky Hijikata preview
After a first-round bye, top seed Ben Shelton will take on Rinky Hijikata in the second round of the 2024 Mallorca Championships on Wednesday, June 26.
Shelton had some decent results during the early hardcourt swing, reaching the semifinals of the ASB Classic and the Dallas Open, the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open, and the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters. He was eliminated in the third round of the Australian Open.
The American started the clay swing with a bang as he captured his maiden title on the surface in Houston. His subsequent results weren't as impressive, and he wrapped up his time on clay with a third-round finish at the French Open.
Shelton then headed to Stuttgart to begin his grass season at the Boss Open. He left the venue without a win as he was upset by qualifier James Duckworth. He was ousted in the first round of the Cinch Championships at Queen's Club, losing to qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Hijikata, meanwhile, got his campaign at the Mallorca Championships underway against Luca Nardi. The Australian put himself in the lead thanks to an early break in the opening set.
Nardi served to stay in the set at 5-1 and even saved six set points but Hijikata finally nabbed the set on his seventh set point. The Italian turned the tables on his opponent in the second set as he reeled off five games on the trot to take the set.
Nardi struck first in the decider to go 2-0 up, though Hijikata didn't remain on the back foot for too long. He broke back to even the score and then snagged another break in the final game of the match to score a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 win.
Ben Shelton vs Rinky Hijikata head-to-head
This will be their first meeting, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Ben Shelton vs Rinky Hijikata odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Ben Shelton vs Rinky Hijikata prediction
Shelton is still seeking his first win on grass this year. Hijikata, on the other hand, made the quarterfinals of last week's Cinch Championships. He got the better of Nardi in the first round here and struck 21 winners against 16 unforced errors.
With less than a week to go for Wimbledon, Shelton will be keen to get some wins under his belt before the season's third Major. He made the second round there last year, though unless he improves his form he's at risk of losing earlier than that this year.
Hijikata has competed quite well on grass over the past week but he has never beaten a top-20 player in his career, going 0-8 against them so far. Even though Shelton has been outplayed on grass so far, he should be able to sneak past the Australian.
Pick: Ben Shelton to win in three sets.