Ben Shelton vs Reilly Opelka Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Cincinnati Open

Prediction published on 11/08/2024, 10:38  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 11/08/2024 at 11:09 in ATP Cincinnati Open Predictions

Ben Shelton looks to get back on track after a second round exit in the recent Montreal tournament.  He's seeded 12th for the Cincinnati Masters hard court tournament and faces wild card Reilly Opelka. Here's our match prediction.

Shelton is 14th in the live rankings and 20th in the ATP Race. The  American lost to Alexei Popyrin in Montreal last week after beating Alexander Bublik in the first round. He now takes on Reilly Opelka with the winner up against either Matteo Arnaldi or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the next round.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed most of his success on hard courts with deep runs in both the Australian and US Open Grand Slams. Before last week's loss to Popyrin, Shelton had reached the last four in the Washington hard court event.

Two semi-finals and a quarter-final have been the highlights of his year on this surface and he will look for more succes this week in Cincinnati.

Reilly Opelka is down at 322nd in the live rankings. He was as high as 17th two years ago but injuries have affected his career. Opelka finally made his comeback this year and reached the last four of the Hall of Fame Open grass court tournament.

That was played on grass though and ideal for his heavy serve. He's played two hard court events since then and has mixed results with two wins and a couple of defeats. We tip Shelton to win this match.