Wimbledon 2024: Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Jannik Sinner vs (14) Ben Shelton
Date: July 7, 2024
Tournament: Wimbledon 2024
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, England
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize Money: £50,000,000
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN, Tennis Channel | UK - BBC | Canada - TSN/RDS, ESPN International
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton preview
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will face 14th seed Ben Shelton in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2024. The winner of the match will face either fifth seed Daniil Medvedev or tenth seed Grigor Dimitrov.
Sinner has won 41 out of 44 matches so far this season, with four titles to his name. The Italian entered Wimbledon 2024 at the back of winning the Terra Wortmann Open, and started with a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Yannick Hanfmann before edging out compatriot Matteo Berrettini 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(4).
He then faced Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round and made easy work of the Serb, registering a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory to book his place in the second round of the grass-court Major.
Ben Shelton has won 23 out of 37 matches so far in 2024, winning the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. The American entered Wimbledon after a quarterfinal exit at the Mallorca Championships.
He started his campaign at the grass-court Major after edging out Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the opening round. Shelton then endured another five-setter, winning 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(7) over Lloyd Harris.
The American then faced Denis Shapovalov in the third round and the latter took the lead in the match after taking the opening set via a tiebreak. However, Shelton bounced back by winning the next two sets before the Canadian won the fourth set to force the match into a decider.
The 21-year-old dominated the final set to register a 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win and reach the second week of Wimbledon for the very first time in his career.
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton head-to-head
Sinner currently leads 2-1 in the head-to-head between the two. Their most recent fixture came in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, with the Italian winning 7-6(4), 6-1.
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton odds
Odds sourced from BETMGM (remaining will be updated when available).
Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton prediction
Sinner will enter the match as the heavy favorite to win given his current run of form but Shelton is a formidable opponent who has already beaten the Italian. Hence, he cannot be written off.
Sinner has an effective serve that has fetched him 37 aces so far at Wimbledon, and he will look to get a lot more of them against Shelton. The Italian's aggressive game and his mentality will work out very well for him.
Shelton's serve has been an integral part of his game and he will look to add up to his tally of 40 aces so far throughout Wimbledon. However, he has also served 15 double-faults and cannot produce too much of those against someone of Sinner's quality.
Shelton has shown his resilience during Wimbledon, having survived three five-set matches. However, defeating Sinner will be an uphill task and one where the American could possibly fall short.
Pick: Sinner to win in three sets.