Cincinnati 2023: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Ben Shelton preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Western & Southern Open

Match details

Fixture: (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Ben Shelton

Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2023

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Cincinnati, US

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $6,600,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv

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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Ben Shelton preview

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2023 Los Cabos Open.

After a first-round bye, fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on World No. 41 Ben Shelton in the second round of the 2023 Western & Southern Open.

Tsitsipas' best result during the early hardcourt season was reaching the final of the Australian Open. Contesting his second Major final, he faced Novak Djokovic, but lost to the Serb in straight sets.

Tsitsipas had some good results on clay, including a quarterfinal finish at the French Open and making the final in Barcelona. He concluded his time on grass with a fourth-round finish at Wimbledon. The Greek returned to compete on hardcourts at the Los Cabos Open.

Tsitsipas scored wins over John Isner, Nicholas Jarry, Borna Coric and Alex de Minaur to claim his first title of the season. He then headed to Toronto for the Canadian Open. The Greek was expected to do well, but was knocked out by Gael Monfils in the second round.

Shelton, meanwhile, took on fellow American Christopher Eubanks in the first round here. The latter snagged a break of serve towards the end of the first set to clinch it and put himself in the lead.

Shelton responded by raising his level as the match went on. A lone break of serve in each of the next two sets sealed the contest in his favor as he wrapped up a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 comeback victory.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Ben Shelton head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Ben Shelton odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Stefanos Tsitsipas	-375	+1.5 (-1100)	Over 22.5 (-140)
Ben Shelton	+270	-1.5 (+525)	Under 22.5 (+100)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Ben Shelton prediction

Ben Shelton at the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown.

After losing a closely contested first set, Shelton turned the tables on Eubanks to come out on top in the first round. He rained down nine aces and won 78% of his first serve points, which he also complimented with 26 winners.

Shelton will now be aiming to win consecutive matches for the first time since his quarterfinal run at the Australian Open in January. He's back to where it all began for him. The young American stunned Casper Ruud in the second round at last year's Western & Southern Open in a memorable debut at the tournament.

Tsitsipas, on the other hand, will be looking to get his campaign back on track following a setback at last week's Canadian Open. His backhand has been a bit of a liability all season long, but his forehand also let him down in his last match.

Shelton's able to strike the ball quite well on the forehand side, so if he's in the zone, it could put the Greek under pressure.

Tsitsipas will start off as the favorite, but if he doesn't improve upon his performance, it wouldn't be a surprise if he gets knocked out.

Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.