Historically, Ben Shelton hasn’t found the same success on clay as he has on other surfaces. Despite his past struggles on the red dirt, Shelton silenced most naysayers by defeating Frances Tiafoe to win the Houston Open 2024 a few weeks ago.
But Ben Shelton would not want his victory to come across as a fluke. He has a lot to play for at the Madrid Open 2024, as his performance in the tournament would go a long way in determining his run in the French Open.
Besides that, Shelton was the American No.1 player for merely a week. However, he got back to the 15th spot after Taylor Fritz made it to the finals of the BMW Open in Munich recently. The 21-year-old has a good chance to go up the rankings further.
The former Florida Gator will have a tricky second-round encounter after receiving a bye, going up against the winner of the Emil Ruusuvuori vs Tomas Machac tie. Despite the tough challenge that either of the two Europeans might pose, the American is expected to emerge victorious and face Alexander Bublik in the third round.
Shelton’s draw only gets tougher as he could face Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round. If the matchup happens, it would be the first time that Shelton and Medvedev would ever face each other. Even though the Russian will be the favorite to cruise past the youngster, an upset would get the Georgia native to clinch a quarter-final spot.
However, Ben Shelton would be considered by some as a favorite to reach the last 8. Should he do so, he will take on a man in prime form, Stefanos Tsitsipas who has had a successful month – winning the Monte Carlo Masters 2024 & reaching the finals at the Barcelona Open 2024.
Orchestrating a second consecutive ‘upset’ might get Ben Shelton to face either Jannik Sinner or Casper Ruud in the semifinals. Subsequently, an entertaining finals encounter against Carlos Alcaraz could then await the southpaw.
Ben Shelton has one of the most difficult draws in Madrid among other seeded players. However, if he manages to pull off consecutive miracles, he could finish the month with his 2nd title on clay and add a 3rd ATP title to his trophy cabinet.
