It’s Super Sunday! Grab a bucket full of popcorn and fasten your seatbelts to witness an all-American clash at the finals of the US men’s clay court championship in Houston. Ben Shelton takes on the defending champion Frances Tiafoe in just a few hours from now. Who has the upper hand in this contest between the future stars of American tennis? 

Orlando vs Atlanta, let’s see which city raises the highest decibels to cheer for their tennis star during their match in the H-Town. Frances Tiafoe will look forward to becoming the first player to defend his title in Houston since Steve Johnson’s historic feat in 2017 and 2018. While, Ben Shelton could rise to number 14 in the PIF ATP Rankings if he manages to clinch his second ATP Tour title in Houston, later today.

Ben Shelton vs Frances Tiafoe: Preview

Ben Shelton started his season with a defeat in his first match at the 2024 Brisbane International. After that, he made an SF run at the ASB Classic before making it to the third round at the 2024 AO. Shelton reached the SF of the Dallas Open this year and has been in good form this year. He managed to make it to the QF at the Mexican Open. The 21-year-old American tennis star came close to winning titles on many occasions this year but has failed short every time this season. Will Houston be an exception?

Looking at his run at the previous two tournaments, this might well be a little concerning because he got defeated by Jannik Sinner in the R16 of the Indian Wells and made an early exit from the Miami Open as well. However, in his previous match, he defeated Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry by 6(4)-7,6-4,6-4. What would be the scoreline in the finals?

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Hold your breath for a few seconds as we’re going to predict this match in just a moment. But before that, let’s have a look at Frances Tiafoes’s run this year. Tiafoe started his season at the Hong Kong Open, where he reached the QF. And then after that, he reached the second round of the AO. It followed with a QF run at the Dallas Open, but the 26-year-old got defeated in the SF at the Delray Beach Open by his compatriot, Tommy Paul. Will he face the same fate against another countryman at the finals in Houston?

Well, time will tell. But if we look at his last few tournaments, his form hasn’t been too great. Tiafoe exited the Mexican Open after a loss in the R16 and then it was followed by two early exits at the Indian Wells and in Miami. However, he defeated Italy’s Luciano Darderi in his previous match at the ATP Houston and will look forward to bank on that confidence and carrying his momentum to the ultimate match.

Shelton vs Tiafoe: Head-to-Head

Both the players have only met once on the Tour earlier. It was at the 2023 US Open, where Ben Shelton’s monster serve helped him clinch a four-set victory against Frances Tiafoe in the QF. However, Shelton’s lethal serving abilities will be a little less effective on the clay courts as compared to hard courts. It may well allow Tiafoe to extend the match further into longer rallies.

Frances Tiafoe has lost serve just once this week. Accuracy will be a key factor for Tiafoe against his big-hitting opponent. And this shows the importance of the serve in this game. But who has the edge in this high-octane contest?

Prediction: Shelton to win in three sets

Ben Shelton came to this tournament with a career 2-8 record on the clay courts. Frances Tiafoe has dropped only one set on this way to reach the finals for the second time in Houston. Before this match, Tiafoe had only defeated one Top 50 player since the US Open last year. He has a win-loss record of 10-7 this season so far with a 3-0 record on the clay courts. What about Ben Shelton?

Well, Shelton has a 14-7 record this season with 3-0 on the clay. This is Ben Shelton’s first ATP Tour level finals on a clay court. Can he create a memorable moment in Houston and kick-start his clay court season with flying colors? Irrespective of the outcome of this match. This is surely going to be a contest with full-on entertainment that’s for sure.

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