US Open 2023: Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (14) Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton
Date: September 3, 2023
Tournament: US Open 2023
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $65,000,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - Sky Sports | India - Sony Sports
Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton preview
Compatriots Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton will duke it out in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open on Sunday.
Paul ousted Stefano Travaglia in four sets and then needed five sets to down Roman Safiullin to reach the third round. He took on 21st seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a place in the fourth round.
Paul bagged the first couple of sets quite comfortably as he dropped just one game across them. Davidovich Fokina played better in the third set as a single break of serve turned the set in his favor.
Paul snagged an early break to go 4-1 up in the fourth set. The American held on to the lead and soon won the match 6-1, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3. He has now made it to the fourth round here for the first time in his career.
A four-set win over Pedro Cachin and a mid-match retirement from Dominic Thiem put Shelton into the third round, where Aslan Karatsev awaited him. The two split the first couple of sets between them to remain on even footing in the match.
However, Shelton then raised his level and ran away with the match. He bagged four straight games to capture the third set and didn't lose a single game in the fourth set to score a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 win.
Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton head-to-head
Paul leads Shelton 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 Australian Open in four sets.
Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Tommy Paul vs Ben Shelton prediction
Both required four sets to reach the fourth round and are now vying to reach the quarterfinals here for the first time as well. Paul fired 15 aces and a total of 40 winners as compared to 27 unforced errors.
Meanwhile, Shelton rained down 26 aces and won 86% of his first serve points, committing just a few errors each set. The two faced off at the Australian Open earlier this year, with Paul ousting his fellow American to advance further.
The two rely on their big serving and strong baseline game to get the job done. Both are amazing ball-strikers, though Paul's the more in-form player at the moment. The 26-year-old has played quite well in the lead-up to the US Open and has maintained his level from previous weeks.
As for Shelton, this is his best result since his quarterfinal finish in Melbourne. His footwork and court coverage help him out by a fair margin. While the youngster has it in him to challenge his older compatriot, Paul should be able to subdue the 20-year-old to advance further.
Pick: Tommy Paul to win in four sets.