Queen's Club 2023: Lorenzo Musetti vs Ben Shelton preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick | Cinch Championships
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Lorenzo Musetti vs Ben Shelton.
Tournament: Cinch Championships 2023.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: London, United Kingdom.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: €2,195,175.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Ben Shelton preview
Sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti will face off against World No. 35 Ben Shelton in the second round of the 2023 Cinch Championships on Wednesday.
Musetti took on home favorite Jan Choinski in the first round here. The former drew first blood in the opening set by going up a break to lead 2-1, but the latter broke back immediately to level the score. The Italian snagged another break to go 4-3 up and held on to the lead this time to clinch the set.
Musetti broke Choinski's serve twice in the second set as he raced to a 5-1 lead in no time. The deficit proved to be too much for his opponent to overcome and he soon wrapped up the proceedings to win 6-4, 6-2.
Shelton, meanwhile, was drawn against fellow American J.J. Wolf in the first round. The former fell behind 3-0 in the first set, but dug deep to level terms. The two remained steady on serve after that, leading to a tie-break.
Shelton gained the upper hand in the tie-break to claim the opener. He then let go of a 3-0 lead in the second set and even wasted a match point on Wolf's serve at 5-4. However, the 20-year-old came out on top in yet another tie-break to win the match 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2).
Lorenzo Musetti 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.
Lorenzo Musetti vs Ben Shelton odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Lorenzo Musetti vs Ben Shelton prediction
Musetti made light work of Choinski to continue his good run of form on grass. After reaching the last eight of the Boss Open last week, he'll now have his sights set on yet another quarterfinal.
Competing in his first ever grass tournament at the ATP level, Shelton made a winning debut by defeating Wolf. The American's booming serve worked overtime as it helped him win 84% of first serve points, while throwing in a total of 14 aces.
Shelton's serve coupled with his big forehand and athleticism do make him a threat on the surface, at least on paper. With Musetti also having a handful of wins on grass, this is an evenly matched contest.
Shelton likes coming forward to finish off points and is slightly more comfortable at the net compared to Musetti. This could give him an edge, especially if he decides to serve and volley often, a tactic that works well if executed perfectly on grass.
Musetti has more experience than Shelton on the main tour, but the latter has improved a lot this year. The American has demonstrated he's capable of not only going toe-to-toe with higher-ranked opponents, but also knocking them out.
This is a contest that could swing either way, though Shelton's powerful serve should give him an edge on grass.
Pick: Ben Shelton to win in three sets.